A Second Chance
by Julia125
Summary: The children of Awakening are all sent back in time to prevent Grima from destroying the world and each of them find themselves separated from the others upon arriving in the present time.
1. Chapter 1- A False Hope

Lucina tripped amongst the endless rubble, desperately trying to make it to the top of Mount Prism as fast as she could. Without a word, she quickly picked herself up off of her knees and continued sprinting for the mountain's peak. Sweat and tears ran down the sides of her face as her bruised arms cradled the Fire Emblem and four of the five gemstones needed in order to perform the Awakening.

At the time, she felt as though things couldn't get any worse. Inigo's group had failed to retrieve Sable, one of the required gemstones, so she was left with only four of them and no other options but to attempt to perform the Awakening. The entire world had been devastated by Grima and his endless armies of risen and now Ylisstol, the only place left untouched, was under attack.

The Awakening was her last hope… no, the world's last hope. Lucina knew, however, that it was a failed resort; there was a reason that the Awakening required five gemstones, so four wouldn't cut it. It wouldn't work. She shook her head and quickly pushed the negative thoughts away as she climbed higher and higher up the mountain. It didn't matter; she had no other options. This was the last card she could play. Her friends had done well to retrieve the rest of the gemstones and she refused to put their efforts to waste.

Still climbing, she finally reached the forested area near the peak of the mountain. Fortunately, it was not yet destroyed by Grima or his armies and continued to host the most radiant atmosphere on the continent. The shamrock colored leaves on the trees almost seemed to glow in the sunlight and the soft, thin grass shrouded the entire area. It was the most peaceful place Lucina had known, but that peace was soon to be gone forever.

Finding a better footing, she was able to run much faster through the forest and made haste for the summit. Sprinting past small creeks and woodland creatures, she dodged trees and jumped logs and rocks. She found an old pathway that had mostly grown over with grass, but provided the fastest and safest route to the top. She stopped to catch her breath at one point, leaning against a tree and looking behind her.

She had stumbled across a small clearing of sorts, just so that the leaves on the trees were absent in one area, creating a window to the rest of the world below. Through the gap of greenery, she could see smoke now polluting the once blue skies and fire almost everywhere she looked. The risen were taking over the continent at an incredibly fast pace, destroying everything they touched. The towns were especially bright from the fire, soon to be nothing more than piles of ash.

Lucina wiped away the tears on her face as she gazed out at the horrendous sight. Everything she had known was gone; everything she had loved. She often visited those towns and knew many folks who lived there. They were dead now, no doubt about it. She gritted her teeth at the thought. Everything… everything was gone. Even if she managed to stop Grima now, his armies would most likely overwhelm her and her friends; there were barely any of them in the first place. And if they somehow managed to defeat both Grima _and_ his armies, what would there be left? It almost seemed as though there was nothing left to fight for.

However, she wouldn't give up. Lucina was widely known as the sort who never gave up, no matter what. If there wasn't anything left to fight for, then she'd make something to fight for: a future. She could still protect what was yet to come. And her friends were more than enough of a reason to keep on living; they had never given up on her, why should she give up on them? She caught her breath and squeezed a tight fist in her free hand.

"I'll make you pay for this." She said as she took one last look at the mayhem miles below. "You won't get away with this, Grima." She pulled herself back together and made haste for the summit yet again. After what seemed to be an eternity of running, she had finally made it to the top. Several scattered ruins lie around a large waterfall, which loudly roared while creating a misty atmosphere at its base. There were no more trees, but the soft grass and serene environment were all too welcoming.

Lucina charged forward and dashed into the divine temple ahead. Her footsteps echoed off a glossy tile floor as she ran towards the large altar in the back of the temple. She placed the Fire Emblem down on the altar and stepped back, looking at the incomplete setup. She stood alone in the large building amongst the holiest place on the entire continent. It was completely silent.

Her eyes fell upon the beatific statue above the altar: a dragon, its wings spread out above the altar as if to protect it. She took a couple seconds to admire it, standing in awe at the sacred structure in front of her. She hung her head and closed her eyes, clasping her hands together on her chest.

"Please… let this work." She whispered, praying that the Awakening would prove successful. Freeing Falchion from its sheath, she held the mighty blade in front of her with both hands and pointed it skyward. "Hear me, Naga! I bear proof of our sacred covenant! In the name of the exalted blood, I ask for the Divine Dragon's power! Baptize me in fire, that I may become your true daughter!"

A couple seconds passed but the room was silent. Nothing happened. Lucina stood in place, her heart beating faster than ever before. She felt her breath get caught in her throat, knowing that the Awakening was now nothing but a futile attempt to save the already doomed world. She opened her eyes and stared at the blade only inches away from her face. Slowly lowering it, she slumped her shoulders and stared at the ground. Thoughts whizzed through her head.

 _It was pointless all along. I knew it. What do I do now? What's going to happen to me? What about my friends? Is this truly the end of the world? Was I truly too late to stop it? I failed my father… I failed everyone. We're all going to die… This can't be happening… This can't really be happening!_

The room suddenly filled with a blinding light, startling Lucina and causing her to retreat a couple steps back. She tried to look back at the altar, but covered her eyes from the holy entity forming in front of her. A strange noise echoed throughout the temple, sounding like an explosion mixed with a strong gust of wind. In that same moment, a blast of wind pushed Lucina back, almost causing her to fall over. Everything happened so fast and Lucina had witnessed none of it.

Seconds later, once it was quiet again, Lucina slowly opened her eyes and stared at the ground, her arms still shielding her face. She began to lower them and looked up at none other than the Divine Dragon. Her mouth fell open and her breath hitched as she nearly felt her heart stop. Did it work? Did the Awakening really work? In front of her stood the most magnificent creature she had ever laid eyes on, responding to her desperate plea for help.

Still frozen in place, Lucina immediately dropped to the ground, kneeling in respect for the divinity before her. The light started to fade away from the rest of the temple, but Naga was still glowing in radiance as she looked upon the young girl who had lowered her head in admiration. Lucina was both baffled and amazed that Naga had answered her call but also nervous to be in the presence of such a holy figure. Without raising her head, she spoke.

"Naga, Your Grace, please lend me your strength by unlocking Falchion's true power so that I may-"

"Child of man…" Naga started. Her voice was beautiful and echoed throughout the entire temple, filling Lucina's ears who looked up in response to the interruption. "The Awakening cannot be performed unless the Fire Emblem is complete." Lucina immediately felt her heart drop again once she heard those words. "You are from the Exalted bloodline, surely you know this."

She took a second to absorb the statement as she sat still, confused and worried. She almost choked on her words as she tried to speak. "B-But, then… why…"

"You are in desperate need of help, that I know; Grima is here to destroy the world as you know it. However, although I cannot grant you Falchion's true power, I can offer assistance by providing you with another option; one that may prevent this catastrophe from ever even occurring." Lucina gripped Falchion tighter in her sweaty hand upon hearing that. Was she saying that there was still a way to save the world? One other than the Awakening? Naga continued.

"Although it may seem unlikely, I can grant you the possibility of time travel. I can send you back in time to prevent Grima from ever obtaining a host for his power; to prevent those from the Exalted bloodline from dying. You can prevent the world from falling into the chaos it now resides in." Lucina almost jumped at the thought. She would give anything to prevent Grima from destroying the world; anything to go back in time and save her father. But she immediately stopped herself from accepting the offer.

What about her friends? If she left, she would leave them behind in this doomed world to be killed by Grima and his armies; there was no way they'd survive alone. She knew that she couldn't leave them, but she also knew that she couldn't waste this opportunity. The dragon interrupted her thoughts when she spoke.

"What say you? Are you willing to leave this world behind in order to save it?"

"I-I must, I know it! But I cannot leave my friends behind. Is there a chance they can come with me?" Naga closed her eyes in thought and Lucina felt almost ashamed asking the question. Was she asking too much? It was incredible that Naga had given her another option in the first place, but she couldn't just take advantage of it. After a moment of silence, Naga reopened her eyes and responded.

"There is a chance that I can send them back in time with you. However, it will use up much of my power and I cannot guarantee that it will be safe; you may not even all end up in the same time period." That didn't matter. As long as she could save them from this horrendous timeline where they had no future, it was okay. It was taking a big risk, but there were no other options.

"I… I see. So be it." Said Lucina. "If that is the only way, then I cannot decline."

"Very well. You must bring the rest here. Only then can I open an outrealm gate to another world."

"Thank you, Your Grace!" Lucina said gratefully, bowing her head yet again. "I shall return as soon as possible." With that, she stood up and sheathed Falchion as she ran back out of the temple. More thoughts started to take over her mind as she sprinted down the mountain. She couldn't believe that there was actually another way to stop everything from happening. Another way to save the world!

She found the small path that she had taken to get to the top of Mount Prism and started down it, thinking about what she was going to say to the others. Would they believe her? Would they want that? Still running as fast as she could, she looked up and saw the world below burning away before she realized she had an even more important question: would she even reach them in time?

* * *

Inigo swiped his sword down, disarming the risen in front of him. Its axe fell to the ground but the creature was still far from harmless; it lunged itself forward in an attempt to bite Inigo. Though he was able to evade its bite, the monster then swiped its hands down in a swift motion, too sudden to predict, scratching Inigo's right arm open. "Ah!" he screamed, before slicing its head clean off in return. The head fell on top of the axe and rolled over to his feet before he stepped back, grunting in disgust. The red glow in the eyes began to fade as a dark liquid poured out of the severed neck.

"Brady!" Inigo yelled, gripping his wounded arm as he looked back to the group's healer and ignored the head at his feet.

"I'm comin'!" Brady announced, making his way through the other fighting children and over to Inigo. He raised his staff up to Inigo's arm as he focused. The ripped skin began to mend itself back together but the blood and ripped clothes remained the same, serving only as a reminder to every mistake Inigo made. Luckily, however, the pain was gone. He rubbed his arm as he observed the blood coating it.

"Thanks." He said. "Though I don't know how much blood I have left to lose." He chuckled.

"Yeah, well that's your fault! You gotta be more careful, I can't just bring ya back from the dead, ya know!" Brady snapped. He looked back at the other children still fending off the attacking risen. "Don't know how much longer we're gonna hold out." He continued. "We may need another healer."

"Don't go thinking that just yet." Inigo remarked, twirling his sword around in his hand. "Not until that staff breaks."

"…That'd just mean we'd need a new staff, ya dimwit." Brady responded, looking down at his staff. It still seemed to be in good condition. As long as he was left out of the actual fighting, the staff wouldn't be breaking any time soon. Hopefully.

Severa trotted over to the two a second later. Her clothes were torn in numerous places and bruises were showing through the holes. Like the rest of the children, she was scratched and covered in blood. Her cold expression still held its place on her face though, as she closed her eyes in disappointment upon arriving in front of Inigo.

"I see you've killed, like, four risen." She snarled, crossing her bruised arms. Before Inigo could even respond, she looked at Brady who glared back at her.

"What'd ya want?" he hissed. Conversations between the two were always curt and edgy since they both seemed to possess the same rotten manners and small amount of patience, especially for each other. Severa grunted.

"Gerome just got back and had nothing but bad news." She began. "The other towns… all of them…" Her eyes fell to the ground as she unfolded her arms as her tone became lighter and more softhearted. Brady and Inigo knew what it meant.

"So there's no one left, huh? Just us." Brady stated. Severa turned around to look at the ruins that the group of children occupied. What used to be an old town was now just a heap of rubble and ashes, swarming with risen and reeking with the scent of death. Walls of fire and piles of destroyed buildings concealed the amount of oncoming risen; it seemed that there was no end to them. Severa sighed.

"The only place left is Mount Prism, where Lucina is. If she can successfully perform the Awakening, then we might, just _might_ , stand a chance against Grima." She turned back around to face the boys. "We just need to-"

Brady and Inigo stared at her as her eyes widened and her mouth hung open.

"What's wrong?" Brady asked.

"What is it?" Inigo said at the same time. They both looked behind them to where she was looking and froze as well. At the bottom of the mountain, only fifty yards away, was Lucina, running towards them.

"Lucina!" Severa shouted, suddenly shoving the two boys aside and nearly causing them to fall over. She ran over to meet Lucina half way, who was exhausted from her rapid descent down the mountain. Noticing that Falchion didn't look any different, Severa started to wonder if she made any progress at all.

"Did it work? Did the Awakening work?" Brady and Inigo ran over to meet Lucina as well as she leaned over, panting and desperately trying to catch her breath. She just shook her head. The three children in front of her didn't say anything but just stared back in horror.

"Then…" Severa began.

"Listen," Lucina finally said in between breaths. "There's another way… Naga said… there's another way…"

"What do you mean?" Lucina looked up to respond but stopped upon seeing all of the other children coming over to her. Severa turned around as well. "What are you all doing? Aren't there more risen?"

"They're gone!" Yarne exclaimed, just as surprised as she was. "We either wiped them all out or…"

"Or something's coming." Kjelle finished as she stomped forward in her heavy armor.

"What does that mean?" Kjelle looked at Yarne who whimpered after receiving her stern scowl.

"Do you really think we would be able to wipe out all of the risen that easily? There's probably no one else left in this area, if there's even anyone left in the entire world… my point is there's no one to kill them but us. That couldn't have been all the risen."

"Whatever." Severa said, turning back to Lucina. "It's not like we're staying here. Now what do you mean by another way?" Lucina was finally able to catch her breath and explained to the other children what Naga had told her about. The concept of time travel, however, wasn't simple. It raised many questions and among the group of children, lots of arguing and disagreement.

"Time travel?" Yarne cried. "Is that even possible?"

"Well obviously if Naga said so, you idiot!" Severa snapped.

"But didn't she say it was extremely dangerous?" Noire asked.

"Not _extremely_ dangerous." Owain pointed out. "Besides, we'll get a chance to save the world!"

" _If_ we can save the world." Laurent corrected. "And that's highly improbable. Lucina already mentioned that we might not even all end up in the same time period."

"But we'd all meet up again eventually, right?" Nah asked.

"That's if we can even survive however long on our own." Laurent continued. "And as much as I respect the Divine Dragon, it would take an incredible amount of power for her to ensure our safety. I still think our chances of all coming out of such an event safely are very slim."

"But this is probably the only chance we'll ever get!" Cynthia exclaimed, running up to Laurent. "Besides, we have nothing to lose!"

"I-I don't know…" Noire sniveled.

"What else can we accomplish by stayin' here?" Brady questioned. "We'll all just die and that'll be that; no savin' anyone."

"It's not our right to go and mess up someone else's world." Gerome disputed. "This is our one world and we screwed up; for that, we have to accept our consequences. We shouldn't get ourselves involved in an entirely different timeline. Imagine all the things that could go wrong."

"So are we just gonna sit here and die?" Brady yelled back.

"The Awakening didn't work! This is our only option left, just like Lucina said!" Cynthia agreed.

As the children continued to argue, Lucina looked off into the distance and noticed something wasn't right. The sky was already dark, polluted from the smoke and sparks of destruction among the countless wrecked towns and cities. However, something was… off. The sky was getting darker off in the distance, almost like there was a… shadow. Lucina's mouth fell open as she realized what it was: Grima himself.

"Everyone!" She shouted. All of the other children looked at her as she pointed at the giant looming shadow in the sky. At that very moment, Grima cried out, emitting a deafening roar that caused all of the children to cover their ears. They all watched as the shadow slowly moved towards them and then did something that none of them had expected; without being able to see his face, there was no telling what he was doing.

It was clear what has happening, however, as a massive shockwave separated the clouds of smoke before being followed by an enormous shaft of white-purple fire. Grima was attacking Ylisstol.

"Take cover!" Lucina screamed as she dove behind a large pile of ruble close by. All of the children immediately followed her orders, hiding behind whatever was there to protect them. Only seconds later, the fire, mixed with what seemed to be nothing but destructive energy, blasted through the area. The air was suddenly scorching and burned the backs of the hiding children. Debris flew through the air so fast and so hard that it nearly broke through any of the still standing ruins.

All of the children covered their heads and pressed their arms against their ears when doing so to block out the deafening explosion. Wooden structures around them were disintegrated in a matter of seconds and a billow of smoke blew through, blotting out all visibility. The explosion lasted a couple of seconds before things settled down. Lucina was the first to open her eyes and inspect the damage. She realized, however, that it was impossible to determine whether or not a town once even existed there.

Anything wooden was nearly completely gone, save for anything still burning. Fire was the only thing illuminating the area; the sky was once again blacked out by smoke. The ground was scorched and only piles of rubble remained; any animals or other survivors were all wiped out. It was dead silent. Ash and sparks started to rain down as Lucina looked on in horror at what the Fell Dragon had done. With just one breath, an entire town was wiped out. No, probably even more than that. Although they could see his shadow, he wasn't even close by; he had wiped out _much_ more.

The rest of the children, coughing and gasping from the mantle of smoke surrounding them, slowly rose up to bear witness to the destruction. All of them were speechless. A moment of silence went by before Lucina turned around to face them.

"We have to go."

* * *

The children all walked in line, following one another up the base of the mountain. The sky, still dark and dreary, hung over them and gave off a threatening atmosphere, like anything could happen at any moment at any time without warning. It already had happened; the smoke was a perfect curtain for Grima to hide behind. The Fell Dragon, however, was still far off in the distance. His roars echoed throughout the land and rang in the ears of the fleeing children, reminding each and every one of them that he was coming.

The smoke had risen higher so the group could actually see ahead, though they ascended the mountain, only moving closer to the mass of smog. Luckily, the air was breathable again so they'd be able to take fewer breaks. Unfortunately, however, the ruins at the bottom of the mountain made transportation difficult, but Lucina refused to let anyone fly in fear of Grima noticing them, even though he was a great distance away. No wyvern or pegasus was to take to the sky.

"Hurry!" Lucina called to the children in the back. "We must make it to the sanctuary before Grima takes notice!" She turned back and continued up the mountain yet again, finding that Gerome had caught up to her to converse.

"I'm sorry, Gerome." Lucina began, before he was able to speak. "You must understand that I cannot allow you to fly on Minerva. We'll be reaching the forest soon and we'll need to use the trees as cover; we can't have anyone above them giving away our position. If Grima finds us out-"

"That's not what I was going to mention." Gerome stated. Lucina felt somewhat embarrassed for jumping to conclusions.

"Oh. Then?" Gerome held out his hand and revealed a mask worn over only the eyes. It was a dark blue, matching Lucina's own apparel, with golden edges. Small slits were placed in the eyes' location, a good cover up for the eyes but still allowing for sight.

"We do not belong to that era. We should not become too involved, you particularly." He said, speaking of the past timeline in which they were headed to. He handed her the mask. "If you need to hide your identity, use this." She took the mask and inspected it, admiring its clean-cut design.

"That's true," she said, running her hand over the smooth surface. "This brand in my iris is proof of my royalty. I cannot allow the chaos it would surely bring to the world of the past." With that, she slipped the mask on and had the idea to tuck in her hair as well. As she fiddled with her hair, trying to hide her long blue tresses, the earth began to shake and tremble violently.

Caught off guard, she nearly fell over before stumbling against a tree. The rest of the children behind her fought to keep their balance as the ground vibrated and trees started to fall over. The ground then split open, cracks forming all around the party and causing them to panic. Reddish lights started to emit from the cracks, the color of fire, as the children all stepped back in shock.

"What's happening?" Noire mewled.

"Is it Grima's battalions?" Laurent questioned, holding his arms out to balance himself.

"Th-The sanctuary!" Owain cried, looking up at their destination. Lucina's head shot in the same direction as she tried to decipher what was happening. It must have been Grima; she knew it. Trees started to topple over and rocks went rolling down the mountain. The earth continued to quake as Lucina started to swiftly climb higher.

"Quickly!" She called to the others. "We must make it to the sanctuary! Now!" The other children all started to run after her as she made her way up the crumbling mountain.

 _What's happening?_ She thought. _What's going on? This must be Grima's doing; I know it for sure! The risen must be coming! But how did he notice us?_ Rocks swept past Lucina and towards the other children as she kept climbing.

"Whoa!" Owain shouted, nearly getting pelted by one of the oncoming stones. Severa, following directly behind him, shoved him up the mountain without hesitation.

"Hurry up, idiot! How're we going to save the world if we die by rocks?" The children all hurried to the summit, following Lucina's trail. As they all rushed ahead, Naga's voice suddenly echoed throughout the forest.

"O children, you who are humanity's hope… you must hurry!"

"Naga?" Lucina asked. The Divine Dragon continued to speak.

"A gate has been opened at the altar. You must pass through it to a world of the past. There, you will have a second chance to stop Grima once and for all."

Lucina quickened her pace upon hearing the deity's words. It wasn't long before she made it to the top of the mountain, followed seconds later by the rest of the group. They stopped after seeing Lucina, frozen in front of the nearly destroyed temple.

Some of the walls had caved in and pillars were toppled over inside. Pieces of stone littered the inside and sparks were flying around everywhere. Fire spread throughout the interior, as Lucina noticed the outrealm gate behind all the destruction. She couldn't make anything out save for a bright light emitting from where the altar used to be. That was it; that was the portal.

"Lucina!" Severa called from behind. Lucina suddenly snapped out of her trance and lunged forward.

"Hurry!" She yelled to the other children. "Let's charge through in one go!" She knew they would follow, so without waiting for them, she ran straight towards the light. It was nearly blinding, almost like looking into the sun, but not quite as bright. She couldn't make out anything on the other side though; the only thing to see was the light itself. She was running into the unknown.

Her heart raced as she sprinted forward and everything seemed to go in slow motion. This was the last moment she would ever spend in her world. Not that that was a problem; it was a blessing, if anything. This was her chance, her chance to change her fate; her chance to change the future.

Fire cracked and pillars toppled over as she raced forwards. She could almost hear her heart pounding as the light started to engulf her vision.

 _No matter what it takes, I must save this world._ She thought. _My friends who became risen, my father who passed away, I'll save them, you'll see._ She lunged into the light as everything immediately disappeared from sight. _I stake it on the name of Hero-King Marth!_

 **Author's Note**

 **So I've been thinking about doing a story based on all of the children's "adventures" in going back in time (where they all ended up and their time until their met up with the Shepherds). I'll probably shorten Lucina's (if I even choose to do it) just because hers would be exceptionally long and we kind of already know what happens after she shows up for the first time in the game (since we witness her exiting the outrealm gate into the present time).**

 **As for this story, it follows the actual events of the game's story (just the children's story before they went back in time). Obviously I threw in a bit of original dialogue and such, but the main events are all right from the real thing, like the Fire Emblem missing its last gemstone, the failed Awakening attempt, the attack on Ylisstol, etc.**

 **Oh, and the last scene (where Lucina is running through the crumbling sanctuary to the gate) is a scene in the opening movie for the game, so you can watch it if you want a better visualization.**

 **Cover image is a screenshot from Fire Emblem Awakening (All rights belong to Nintendo and Intelligent Systems)**


	2. Chapter 2- Returning In Time

A celestial white noise rang throughout Lucina's ears as she kept running forward. It was all she could hear. After all, she was nowhere in particular. Nowhere at all, to be exact. She was running amidst a white void, devoid of any object or living creature beside herself. There was no ground, no sky either, yet gravity seemed to be keeping her fixed to some sort of plane.

She could hear every footstep she took; it sounded as though she was running on a tile floor, just like the one in the temple. Aside from her footsteps and the rustle of her clothes, however, the only other noise she heard was her own heavy breathing. Other than the noises she was making, it was dead silent. Never before had she experienced such a deafening silence. It was almost…. frightening.

Still running forward, she looked behind her to see make sure the rest of the group was with her. There was no one. She became frightened upon seeing the empty void ever expanding behind her with no one else in it. She was alone. What had happened to them? Where were they? She turned back and kept moving forward, leaving the unanswered thoughts to remain in the back of her mind. Although she had obviously never traveled through time before, for some reason, she knew to keep running forward; her heart told her to, even if it meant leaving everyone else behind.

 _It's okay._ She thought, trying to rid herself of the concerning thoughts popping into her head about her friends. _Naga said that this might happen, she already knew about this; nothing unexpected could have happened. I'm sure they'll all find their way back safely. And I'm sure there's nothing they couldn't handle by-_

"Exalted One," Naga's voice abruptly echoed throughout the void, interrupting Lucina's thoughts. "You are about to arrive in a world set more than 10 years prior to your own. The events leading to the resurrection of the Fell Dragon have not yet taken place and you must prevent them from occurring if you are to save this world."

"Understood." Lucina responded. She felt the pressure of each and every word weigh down upon her. It sure was a lot to take in, especially seeing that she would have to go about it alone at first. She didn't know when, or even if, she would meet up with her friends and could do nothing but pray for their safe arrival.

"Be wary," Naga continued. "Though you have passed through the outrealm gate first amongst your party, Grima's risen have already invaded this world." Lucina winced at the statement. _Dammit!_ She thought. _I get one chance to change everything and Grima is already a step ahead._

"It is time." Naga stated. In front of her, though she could not tell how far ahead, Lucina saw a hole start to form in the void. Particles of space rapidly gathered together to form a small cluster of light, which then exploded, as a dark shadow grew in its place. It all happened in less than a second.

Lucina watched the wonders of the Divine Dragon unfold before her. _Incredible!_ She thought, but knew that now was not the time to admire her powers. She tensed her muscles as she charged full speed ahead, making for the tear in space. Excitement, anxiety and fear all coursed through her as a blurry image started to form in the shadow; the world of the past. _This is it!_ She lunged forward yet again, into another unknown realm. Although this was the same world as hers, her arrival would change that completely. It had to.

The blurry glob of colors started to form a clearer image; bodies, two of them to be exact, racing in the same direction that Lucina was headed. They were no normal people, however. Their skin was dark, a purplish-brown color, and the noises they made were inhuman. The risen! Just like Naga had said.

They both made their way through the gate as Lucina raced forward to try and catch up to them. She had to stop them from killing anyone. The gate was opened for her but they had managed to pass through it as well; she didn't want anyone to die because of her. No, she was here to prevent death!

They both passed through, however, with Lucina still in tow a ways behind them. She had to catch up! Almost a minute had passed before she was able to pass through the gate as well. Hearing a scream, she dove forward, reaching her hand out as she leapt. Passing through the gate was a strange phenomenon; it felt almost like she was emerging from a pool of water as her body became enveloped by a new air and atmosphere.

After she passed through the "membrane" of the gate, she found herself falling quite a ways. Apparently the gate had been opened quite far off the ground, though she wasn't sure if Naga had complete control over that or not. It didn't matter though; she was here. As she fell, she observed where she was and what was going on. She noticed two people, most undoubtedly her father and aunt, fighting off the two risen that had just exited that gate. Well, trying to fight them off at least.

Lissa was backed up against a boulder, shaking and guarding herself with her staff. Chrom must have killed the first risen as he was now heading for the second one, but Lucina could tell he wouldn't make it in time to save his sister. She didn't have time to think of a strategy so she would have to act on her gut. The risen raised its axe high above its head as Lucina hit the ground before springing over to Lissa in a swift second.

The axe came flying for her head as she gasped and ducked behind her staff while at the same time Lucina had whipped Falchion out of its sheath and rested the blade on her back. She dove in front of Lissa, her back facing the risen and supporting her sword, which then caught the oncoming axe. Sparks shot out from the metal crashing against metal as Lucina desperately stood her ground, able to now do nothing but hold off the risen as long as possible.

The tremendous amount of strength the risen had was incredible. Either that, or the time travel had weakened Lucina, but she could feel her strength steadily fading. She stood there struggling for almost ten seconds flat as Lissa slowly met her gaze in a terrified state. Wondering where her father was, Lucina looked to her side to see him frozen in a state of shock. It was probably a lot to take in all at once, seeing her fall from the sky following two zombie-like creatures that had attempted to kill him, but now was not the time to contemplate it.

"Help!" She called, trying to keep her voice low to conceal the fact that she was a woman. She had decided to disguise her true identity to the best of her abilities and figured that switching her gender would surely help in doing so (which is why she had tucked her hair in as well). No one would be able to guess who she was, even if they had suspicions. No, not if she was a man.

At that time, Lissa had also turned her attention to her brother, who was still standing there. Lucina's call, however, had broken Chrom's daze as he charged forward wielding a glowing Falchion in both hands. His shouting distracted the risen, which prompted it to lift its axe off of Lucina's own Falchion. Using this short opportunity as an opening, she swung Falchion from behind her, twirling herself so that she held it properly in front of her and in one swift motion sliced the risen in half to match her father's own swing.

With both blades slicing the creature in half, it let out one last ghastly moan as its body disintegrated into a purple fog, which quickly dissipated into nothing. Lucina, facing away from the both the royals, slowly sheathed her sword as she prepared for questioning that was sure to follow any second. Lissa had stopped shaking like a leaf, but her attention was turned towards Lucina, as well as her older brother's. He stepped to the side as Lucina stood in silence, without saying a word.

"Quite an entrance," Chrom said, inspecting her from head to toe. She made sure to keep Falchion's hilt close to her and her arm covering it from Chrom's view as she stared off into the distance. She couldn't let him know that she had the same sword, not yet. "What's your name?" He continued. She looked to the side to catch a glimpse of him from the corner of her eye, if possible at all in that mask. Before she could respond, Frederick rushed in with Robin in tow.

Lucina, feeling pulses of stress, worry, and fear, looked to her side to see more risen crawling out from the forest. Conversation would have to wait, especially since it was getting dark and fighting would prove more difficult. Frederick met the royals with a deep concern in his voice, as Chrom ordered him to fight along with the rest of the available shepherds. The group took to arms and nearly wiped out all of the risen in a matter of minutes, Lucina taking care of a couple herself. Once the fighting was finished, the rest of the shepherds returned to their camp while Chrom stayed behind with Lissa, Frederick and Robin to talk with Lucina.

She feared him questioning her further though; she didn't know how much information he would want and she wasn't sure how much she should tell them. Probably nothing yet, she just got here after all. Gerome's words rang in her head as she remembered him warning her not to become too involved with the people of this world. That was true, but…

"It seems all the creatures are vanquished." Frederick stated, his arms occupying their usual place behind his back. He stood tall next to Robin, who looked somewhat short in comparison, but Frederick was a tall man in general. His presence would most likely be very intimidating had he been an enemy soldier. Luckily, that wasn't the case. He continued speaking. "This young man took care of the others."

Lucina shifted her feet upon hearing that. It was good news; they were supposed to think that she was a man, but actually being mistaken for a man, intentionally or not, was a very weird feeling. Nonetheless, she kept her cool as they continued to converse.

"Um… I never got to thank you… for before. So… thank you. You were very brave." Lissa complimented as she clasped her hands together behind her back. Lucina kept quiet.

"You saved my sister's life. My name is Chrom. Might I ask yours?" Chrom said, gesturing towards her. Lucina didn't have to think twice about what her alias would be.

"You may call me Marth." She responded, still in a low tone. She was going to have to keep that up for a while, which was not only awkward for her but somewhat of a hassle. It didn't compare to any real trouble though, so she looked past it.

"Marth? After the heroic king of old?" Chrom asked, but continued before she could respond. "You certainly fight like a hero. Where did you learn your way with a sword?" Heeding Gerome's words once again, she responded as best she could without sounding… rude.

"We're not here to talk about me." She said. "This world teeters at the brink of a horrible calamity. What you saw tonight was but a prelude. You have been warned." _That's fine._ She thought. _Don't reveal too much. Not yet._ With that, she turned and walked away, leaving the four of them alone. Lissa wouldn't have it though, and wanted more of an answer to… whatever Marth had just said.

"Huh? What's teetering where now? Hey, wait!" She called, jumping forward in confusion.

"Not much for conversation, is he?" Robin said, crossing his arms as he watched the mysterious young man disappear into the forest.

"It appears his skills lie elsewhere. I wager we'll hear his name again…" Frederick began, turning to Chrom. Lucina, only disappearing behind a tree, made sure she was out of sight before running a couple paces and hiding again, listening in on what the small group had to say.

"But for now, I'm more concerned about the capital. We should make haste." Frederick finished. That was all. With that, they all turned around and headed back for their camp to meet up with the other shepherds. Lucina spied on them from behind her tree. She peeked her head around to get one more good glimpse of her father before he vanished into the darkness with the others. More of the shepherds had met up with him bearing a torch, but he was too far away to see now.

Lucina quietly watched as the small ball of light grew fainter and fainter the further away it got and as the shepherds became undetectable. She sighed a breath of relief; she had not even been here for thirty minutes and had already needed to fight Grima's risen. Her real adventure was just getting started. She would have plenty of time to think about Grima though; for now, she wanted to enjoy her moment of silence and peace before the chaos returned. She turned back around, leaning against the tree, and couldn't help but smile as she thought of her father. _Father… It was so good to see you again._ She thought. _I'll save you this time for sure. It's a promise._

 **Author's Note**

 **So I've decided that I will be doing Lucina's story… obviously. Like I said, it would be pretty long so I'll try my best to shorten it to keep it from being way different from the other chapters; this is the first part to it. I'm not quite sure how many parts Lucina's story will have alone, but I'd like to make each of the other children only have one part; I was initially going to make each chapter the story of one of the children so they'd all get one chapter a piece, but I realized I can't do that unless I want Lucina's to be exceptionally long, which I don't. So aside from hers, I still plan on making each child get one chapter. That's the PLAN.**

 **I also failed to mention two things last time: (1) I don't think I'll be doing Morgan's story and (2) I'm trying to do all the children's stories in order (according to their paralogues). Not that that the second part matters much, but just letting readers know, cause why not.**


	3. Chapter 3- Feroxi Champion

Lucina wandered around outside the giant Feroxi castle. She had made her way to Regna Ferox right after saving Chrom and Lissa from the intruding risen. Her current mission was to locate one of the Fire Emblem's gemstones here and she had somehow managed to get herself right up to the West Khan's castle itself. The castle consisted of enormous stone walls, easily able to keep out intruders, and… well, that was actually all that Lucina had managed to discover so far; as well as possessing great walls, the castle contained a large number of diligent lookouts, which made it almost impossible for her to sneak around undetected and explore the area.

She wasn't inside the castle yet, though her plan was to somehow make it there. She also wanted to get in there as soon as possible; it was freezing outside! Regna Ferox was infamous for being cold, so she wasn't surprised. She wasn't able to get her hands on anything to keep her warm however, since she was in such a hurry. Plus, having more gear on would make it harder for her to stealthily sneak around and possibly make more noise. No, it was better that she didn't have any extra clothing.

Sneaking around a corner, she kept herself pressed against the ginormous stone wall. She could hear soldiers talking around another close corner, so she peaked her head around to see. _High walls, tons of lookouts… getting into the castle won't be easy, indeed…_ she thought. Before she was able to take another step however, a man's loud voice startled her from behind. She quickly turned and realized that she had been discovered by none other than the West Khan himself alongside his right hand man.

"Hey you, you got some business being in my castle?" The man asked, harshly staring her down. _Basilio!_ Lucina immediately recognized him and, for some reason, felt better that he had discovered her than one of his guards. She may have caused a lot of uproar had the entire castle guard ended up chasing her down.

Behind him stood Lon'qu, the current champion of not only the West side of Regna Ferox, but the entire kingdom itself. Though Lucina did not know much about him, she clearly recognized him and knew that his skill with a blade was almost unmatched. He was also to become a skilled member of the Shepherds, and she knew that he fought alongside her father when he was alive. He was surely a warrior to be feared.

"Who the hell are you and what're you doing here?" Basilio suddenly demanded, making it the second time that Lucina's thoughts were interrupted. She was prepared for questioning, however; she figured she'd get caught at some point since being able to successfully sneak around undetected in Regna Ferox was close to impossible. She pulled herself away from the wall and stood up straight to try and address the Khan with some respect.

"A wandering swordsman. I want to fight the strong so I came here." That _would_ have been her business here, had she not prioritized her mission. Basilio didn't find her answer the least bit suspicious though, even though he caught her clearly sneaking around, trying _not_ to be caught. Why would she be doing that if she were just looking for a match? Flavia sure wasn't wrong to nickname him "oaf"; though he was extremely strong and skilled at fighting, he didn't seem to be very perceptive.

"Ha!" He mocked. "I've got no idea who you are, but I'm interested. Hey, Lon'qu! Have a match with him!" Basilio instantly took a few steps back and crossed his arms as his champion passed him. _Wait, right here? Right now?_ Lucina thought, caught off guard at the sudden demand.

"As you command." Lon'qu responded to the Khan, quickly unsheathing his sword and taking his place in front of Lucina. _This man!_ She remembered. … _He's good!_ She knew he had earned his place as the champion for a reason, but not only that; he had also been one of the longest to survive in her future. His skills were not to be ridiculed.

"This guy's representing West Ferox in the next tournament. I'm thinking of making him my successor. Good enough, I wager?" Basilio asked. Though she was a little intimidated, Lucina knew she couldn't show it. She had taught herself to show no signs of weakness, after all.

"Bring it!" Her response seemed to trigger Lon'qu as he darted forward before she could even react. _He's fast!_ His face was inches from her own as she stumbled backwards, trying to get a good grip on her sword. How would she even attack him like this?

As he charged her, however, he held out his left arm in an attempt to push her back, which made contact with her chest. Normally, this wouldn't be a problem had she actually been a man, but… Lon'qu's eyes suddenly constricted and he fell into a cold sweat as he realized that Lucina, in fact, wasn't a man.

"You're… Are you a…" he began, but Lucina couldn't let Basilio find out that she was a woman. She shouted to interrupt him from giving her away as she flung Falchion high over her head.

"You're open!" She shrieked, suddenly bringing its hilt down upon a frozen Lon'qu's head. She knocked him out cold and he fell to the snow-covered ground. Thank God that was over with. She backed away, panting and trying to regain her calm. Her heart was beating fast and she was still shocked at what had just happened; what would she have done had she been discovered?

She stood a couple paces from Basilio who just stood there, motionless and confused; his face clearly showed it. What had just happened? His champion had been knocked out before he could even swing his sword.

"Sheesh, what in the world came over him?" He finally asked. Lucina panicked upon hearing that, thinking that Basilio would investigate further; there was no way anyone could best Lon'qu like that in a fair match. But for some reason, he suspected nothing and just shrugged it off. After all, he was just an oaf.

"Well at any rate, you're pretty damn good." He said, even though Lucina hadn't really done anything. Basilio seemed to only be interested in the outcome of the match. "How'd you like to be my champion in the tournament?"

"What?" She asked, caught off guard again. He sure was very straightforward; he didn't hesitate to get to the point at all and he also brought things up immediately, constantly surprising Lucina.

"It's a match between the East and West to see who wins sovereignty of Ferox. You're not saying no, are you? Didn't you say you wanted to fight the strong?" _Right… If I'm their champion, I can enter the castle._ Lucina quickly decided that there wasn't really a downside to this, but mostly that it would allow her to easily enter the castle without having to sneak around.

"Understood. I accept your offer."

"Alright! Another win for West Ferox comin' right up!" Basilio cheered. Lucina thought about it some more. _This way, I might be able to determine where the gemstone is. Besides…_

"You got a name?" Basilio asked.

"Marth." _I want to try my blade against his!_

 **Author's Note**

 **This chapter ended up being a lot shorter than I initially thought, but whatever. Really I'm just recreating the scene from the comic (and yes, there is an official Fire Emblem Awakening comic) {I suggest you check it out if you haven't yet}. So far, both this chapter and chapter one have been based off of the comic itself; there's a lot more to what actually happened when the kids went back in time, but since I followed the comic, the first chapter was very rushed and I left out a lot of major events.**

 **I'm not sure if I'll go back and change it… then I'd have to change this document again and almost rewrite the first chapter entirely so I may just leave it. I do want to let you know, however, that my first chapter is missing a lot from the actual events, though everything that happened in it is still canon. There are just… big… gaps.**

 **As for this chapter, I changed the fight scene between Lon'qu and Lucina a tiny bit, only because in the comic he (for some reason) awkwardly face plants into Lucina's chest and I didn't want to have to recreate that scene. The poor man…**

 **I also don't know if Lon'qu ever told anyone that Lucina was a woman after he woke up, the comic never goes over that, and that concern also never crosses Lucina's mind so I just left it out (honestly because I couldn't think of a reason that she _wouldn't_ be concerned about that) but {yet again} whatever.**

 **Lastly, if you didn't understand whom Lucina was referring to in the last sentence, it's Chrom. I don't know how she knew he was the champion for the East side, (maybe she was still spying on them then and this happened later?) but she knew. I was going to italicize it to indicate it was someone significant, but all of her thoughts are already italicized so… that wasn't possible. Oh well.**


	4. Chapter 4- Foreseer

Arena Ferox was enormous, with lots of free space for battling and no obstacles or terrain disadvantages; a perfect place for a fair fight. Fire pits sat on towers atop the walls and surrounded the stone stadium, though it was still somewhat dark around the perimeter below them; the arena was underground, after all. However, a light from the giant hole above shone through, providing more visibility in the center for the competing soldiers where the battle would take place. The arena floor had a grand design painted on the masonry in the center and the walls reached up high to seat a massive crowd above. Indeed, a lot of people would be watching. These tournaments were not small events; they decided the ruling Khan of the kingdom, of course lots of spectators would attend. And they had.

Lucina waited behind the large portcullis that she was to enter the arena through. The tournament was about to begin and she was excited to partake in it. The roars of the lively crowd beyond the door echoed through the stadium, fueling her excitement even more. Basilio had gone to take his seat among the crowd; a special throne placed in the front row just for him to watch the battle below, mirroring Flavia's across the stadium. Lon'qu silently stood next to the West Khan to watch the battle in anticipation.

An announcement took place, introducing Lucina to the animated crowd above as the portcullis slowly raised and she entered the arena. The crowd went wild upon her arrival, cheering and waving their fists in the air. _So much for not being noticed…_ she thought. _Look at where I am now._ Although she was currently the center of attention, no one knew her true identity or where she came from. No one knew anything about her, so it wasn't a problem yet.

She walked forward and took her place among the other soldiers on her team. They were obviously the pawns for the battle; she was the champion, which is why she was the only one to receive praise. Other than the champion, a small number of soldiers were allowed to participate in the tournament, but only for the crowd's entertainment. They couldn't interfere with the other side's champion; only fight each other before the true battle took place. It was the battle of the two champions that determined the commanding khan.

Lucina stood there, waiting for her rival to enter the stage. Surely enough, only moments later, another announcement occurred and the portcullis on the opposite side of the arena opened. She watched as her father stepped out, receiving a loud round of applause followed by more cheers among the crowd. He walked up and stood among his fellow Shepherds; he had chosen his own team for the tournament instead of the usual Feroxi soldiers. He could only chose five teammates to accompany him, so he chose some of the best from the current members of the Shepherds.

Alongside him stood Frederick, Lissa, Sully, Vaike and his master tactician, Robin. Although he had picked the strongest of the Shepherds, they didn't matter to Lucina; she would only be fighting Chrom so her focus was on him the entire time. He noticed Lucina on the other side of the arena and scowled. Lucina couldn't tell if he was making a face at her or just squinting to get a better look, but it was somewhat discomforting. She didn't want her father to hate her, even if she had to be a complete stranger to him.

"Chrom! Look!" Lissa exclaimed, pointing to Lucina on the other side of the arena. She seemed worried and somewhat conflicted upon seeing Lucina. Did she not want to fight her?

"I see him…" Chrom said, still glaring in her direction. "Marth! One question, before we begin?" Lucina stayed silent as he waited for a response. "…Fine, then. Our swords can speak for us!" After he said that, he looked back to Flavia, watching from her throne, and nodded. Lucina turned and did the same to Basilio. Some sort of blast immediately sounded off, signaling the start of the tournament. Chrom and Lucina stayed in place as the other soldiers all charged forwards to face off against the other team.

Lucina watched the battle take place from her spot and noticed that her team was doing poorly against the Shepherds. It all seemed to be because of Robin. He set up his soldiers so that they all had advantages over who they were facing when they charged at each other. He made use of Lissa while directing the other three to attack and protect her at the same time. They almost formed a small semi circle around her, allowing them to attack their enemies while she could heal them from behind.

The tactic was working great and they were quickly able to wear down each of Lucina's teammates one by one before finishing them off. Not even a single soldier on their side was injured and her entire team had soon been wiped out. It didn't matter though. Their efforts would all be in vain if she could best Chrom one on one. The crowd roared in excitement as the Shepherds retreated back to their side and Lucina's team slowly made their way back to her in defeat. She didn't praise them but she didn't scold them either; she just kept her focus on Chrom.

Another announcement took place after the soldiers had cleared the field, declaring that it was now the champions' turn to battle. This was what it all came down to. She had to beat Chrom for his own good; she still needed access to the Feroxi castle to search for the gemstone. It was all to save him. Little did he know, however, that beating her would do him harm. Of course, he had his reasons for being in the tournament in the first place; he needed the resources that Flavia would be able to provide for him if she were in charge… If Lucina won, he wouldn't be getting those resources. It seemed that winning would bring each of them misfortune either way. She felt, however, that her cause was greater. He was going to war, true, but she was trying to stop Grima. A world-destroying dragon seemed to be a more important reason for needing to win this battle.

 _Very well then,_ she thought, stepping forward into the center of the arena. The crowd went crazy when she and Chrom stepped up to each other to face off. _I have to win. I won't hold back._ Chrom unsheathed Falchion, showing off the blade in front of him when it met the light. Lucina mimicked his moves, unsheathing hers in the same manner: twirling it in one hand and holding it out in front of her. As her sword came into his view, he was shocked to see that it resembled his own… exactly. He gasped upon seeing it, not knowing how this stranger had somehow managed to obtain a twin of his legendary blade. There was only supposed to be one Falchion… how did Marth have one?

"Where did you get that?" Chrom asked in a baffled voice. Lucina remained quiet. "There's no way…" he said, turning his head as he spoke. She had no idea what he was thinking or what his assumption was, but she didn't have time to time to ponder it as he stepped forward and lunged high into the air before coming down in a series of rapid front flips, launching himself on top of her. She was able to block his attack but the jump had given him a massive amount of momentum and took a lot of strength for her to repel.

She slid Falchion to the side, sliding his sword off her own and quickly followed up in a series of attacks consisting of multiple rapid slashes and spins. Chrom was now on the defensive as he backed away, deflecting and dodging each swing. As Lucina progressed forward, she was able to show off a few impressive stunts and flung herself into the air to twirl around and fling Falchion down on Chrom. He quickly dodged to the side before deflecting another series of attacks as he tried to make conversation.

"Tell me-" He said, ducking under her sword as it flew towards his neck. "Who taught you to fight like that?" He blocked another attack as Lucina tried to overpower him, only ending in their blades holding against each other for a second as they met face to face. Instead of responding, she pushed herself off of him as he did the same and they both flew back, then proceeding to pull off Chrom's signature move; twirling the blade multiple times in one hand before locking it at their side and holding their left arm in a defensive position in front of them. Lucina copied him perfectly when he did it, only further frustrating and confusing him.

He lunged forward at the same time as Lucina as they both swiped Falchion at the other in one swift motion, holding it out far in front of them. Their blades clashed and deflected each other; only sending sparks flying off into the air after the violent collision. Chrom flew forward before he caught himself and quickly turned around to see Lucina lunge into the air to copy his same jump attack from earlier. She flew down towards him as she yelled "My father!" and hit the ground as Chrom dove out of the way. She created a small cloud of dust as she stood back up to face him and pointed Falchion at him, grunting sternly. He only responded with a cold glare.

The battle continued for a bit longer, each of the champions displaying their skills to the lively crowd above as the members of the two teams watched on the sidelines. Both father and daughter seemed to be equally matched. Chrom was a man, and still a bit older than her in this timeline, so he was naturally stronger than her. Lucina, however, had had years of training from the man himself and practiced constantly whenever she had the chance. The harsh demands of survival in her world caused her to perfect her sword wielding skills, carving her into a strong swordswoman.

She didn't really think about any of that as she fought though; her mind wasn't even thinking of anything. She was completely focused on her battle, following her instincts and letting her body move for itself. She acted almost automatically every time she battled, especially if it was this intense. Chrom hadn't even taken a hit yet and she was starting to feel herself get worn out. Perhaps practicing nonstop right beforehand wasn't such a good idea…

That was the leading advantage that Chrom had over her, she knew. Her arms were tiring with every swing, more so with every block since her father's energy didn't seem to be fading quite yet. She knew she couldn't loose this opportunity because of such a stupid mistake on her part; she had to keep going. Unfortunately, her body disagreed. The two continued to battle for what felt like an eternity to her, her arms getting weaker with every blow and her legs starting to give out underneath her. She could feel her energy leaving her body until she could no longer go on. Finally, she yielded.

Not even a single scratch had been placed on either of the champions; they had deflected each block and mimicked each other almost perfectly the entire time. It was truly a fantastic battle and the crowd couldn't agree more. They went into a frenzy once Lucina had surrendered, prompting more excitement among the Shepherds who hurried out into the center to congratulate their captain. Lucina noticed that all the attention was being poured onto the Shepherds, mainly Chrom, and figured that this would be the perfect opportunity to slip away.

Retreating back into the barrel vault, Lucina found Basilio who had already left his throne. Lon'qu was with him. She needed to let the khan know that she had to go; her plan had failed and she had no time to waste. Before she could initiate conversation, Basilio's hands flew up into the air as he spotted her and walked over to her meeting her half way.

"The hell happened back there?" He questioned, giving Lucina both a concerned and frustrated look. "I didn't send you out there just to give up!"

"I'm deeply sorry, the fault is mine." Lucina said in her "Marth" voice. "However, I must be going. I've important things to attend to."

"Leaving already?" The khan asked, crossing his arms as Lucina fastened her belt tighter to make sure Falchion stayed in place.

"I'm sorry, but I have a vital mission ahead. I must see it through." Basilio just waved his hand aside like he was swatting a fly.

"Bah! Seems you always have to keep everything secret, don't ya?" Lucina looked back at him but didn't say anything. "I don't know what you're up to but if you ever feel like coming back, the invitation's open." He continued. "Just don't go forfeiting again; Feroxi take pride in their strength and persistence. That was downright degrading!"

"Very well." Lucina nodded.

"And I sure as hell ain't ready to hear Flavia boast about this…" Basilio mumbled as he and Lon'qu made their way into the arena where the Shepherds were while Lucina left in the opposite direction. She walked down the long hall as she thought to herself about what her next move was going to be. Getting into the Feroxi castle seemed to be out of the question now so she needed a new approach to finding that gemstone.

As she made her way down the hall, she decided that she would follow the Shepherds first to see what they were up to. She had to keep any of them from dying, which meant that she needed to be watching them at all times. If they left Regna Ferox while she was still there, that wouldn't be possible. She couldn't fail twice already; she had just gotten here! She arrived back on level ground and waited for the Shepherds to exit the arena. Surely enough, they came out in due time, Lon'qu among the group.

 _Just as planned._ She thought, watching the Feroxi soldier head into the castle to prepare while the rest of the Shepherds grouped up around the castle entrance. _Everything is still on course…_ He came back out shortly and joined the group again as they left the kingdom. Lucina followed from a distance, making sure to stay out of sight and out of trouble. What were they up to now? Constantly monitoring them while fulfilling her intended mission at the same time was no small task. This saving the world stuff wasn't going to be easy, for sure.

* * *

Lucina watched the Shepherds follow their exalt into a failed attempt to parley with Gangrel, the king of Plegia at the time. Though there were many instances where Lucina felt she needed to help, she refrained from doing so; she needed to stay hidden as much as possible and jumping in every time her father was in danger would only put all her efforts to waste. He was not only a grown man but the captain of the Shepherds as well; he could protect himself. Lucina couldn't help but feel on edge every time he entered battle, however, and constantly fought the urge to jump in and save him. That reckless impulse only grew stronger with every passing day.

With the unfortunate events that occurred at the Halidom-Plegia border, Plegia had reason to storm the Halidom and war was soon to come. Lucina found herself back in Ylisstol watching over the Shepherds as the days went on. War was upon them at any day now, Plegia would surely come marching across the border to try and seize the Fire Emblem. Lucina had remained around the capitol, constantly going over her plan on what her next step would be for her mission. She needed to find that gemstone as soon as possible, but with the war coming she couldn't leave the Halidom. However, it wasn't long before she realized the grave truth of the situation: Emmeryn's death was soon at hand.

She remembered an assassination plot resulting in Chrom being wounded and Emmeryn being killed; that was to happen tonight, she knew it for sure once she had spotted two assassins on their way to the capitol. She had spotted them earlier the same day; though they were assassins and quite adept at their job, Lucina seemed to be the true master of sneaking around and had spotted them with ease. There was no doubt in her mind that Emmeryn was to be killed in less than twenty-four hours. Well, that would have been the case; she was here to stop that.

For the rest of the day, she kept a close eye on the assassins as they headed for the capitol to carry out their plan. She needed to cut them down now; slipping up would cost the exalt's life. As she followed them around, she finally found a perfect opportunity to kill them both. They had made it to the capital but the capitol building itself was still further ahead. Stopping behind a bush, the two assassins started to converse with each other about their plan as Lucina snuck up behind them. This was her chance!

She grabbed Falchion's hilt as she silently approached them from behind but suddenly stopped. She knew where the assassins were so she could easily prevent Emmeryn's death as long as she continued to keep an eye on them. If she could do that, she figured she should prove to her father that she was here to help him. She wanted more than anything for him to trust her. It was true that she had saved Lissa's life but she felt that she needed to earn his trust even more. She wanted to. Perhaps she could wait until the assassins arrived at the capitol. She could protect Chrom from the one and kill the other right after. Yes, that seemed like a good enough plan.

She let go of the sword handle and backed away, staying as quiet as possible. Neither one of the men noticed. It was getting dark now and the time was almost at hand. She had to hurry to the building before the two assassins to prove to her father that she was here to help him. She was here to prevent her future. She managed to make it to the building before the assassins while keeping track of them at the same time. Arriving at the capitol, she was extremely uneasy; letting the two assassins get this close maybe wasn't such a good idea. She realized now that if she screwed up, her father would be harmed and Emmeryn would…. No, she couldn't screw up. That wasn't an option.

She kept her cool as she found the cleft in the wall behind the maple grove and snuck through it. Just as she thought, her father was outside in the courtyard, making him an even easier target for the assassins. Lucina had predicted the assassins' route but her prediction had been confirmed when she overheard their conversation; they were to attack from inside the courtyard, using the foliage as cover. She hid behind the corner of the castle wall as she noticed a large tree and surrounding shrubs right next to Chrom. Surely they would be coming from there. All she had to do was position herself between her father and the tree.

She was about to approach him right before Robin followed through with her own plan, walking up to him and initiating conversation. She waited as the two spoke to each other. She listened to Chrom tell him of how his father had run their kingdom beforehand, leading the two kingdoms to war, which had taken effect on both of the kingdoms and their people. He told him of how the Halidom's army became diminished, normal civilians were eventually enlisted, and of the major food shortages which all in turn led to the kingdom's collapse. She listened on to how Chrom declared he was going to kill Gangrel before she heard rustling in the bushes behind him. That prompted her to take action, for she knew she could wait no longer. Walking around the corner, she made her presence known as she spoke.

"Well spoken, sir." She said, approaching the captain and tactician, making sure to stand between them and the tree. They turned to face her, both caught off guard by her sudden appearance.

"Marth…" Chrom began.

"Good evening to you."

"How did you get in here?" Chrom questioned, seeming somewhat uneasy.

"That cleft in the castle wall, behind the maple grove." She gestured back to the direction from which she had come. Chrom suddenly seemed even more uneasy upon hearing that, maybe embarrassed even. He reached up and scratched the back of his neck in discomfort.

"There? But how would you… Ugh."

"You know the place, Chrom?" Robin asked, confused by his reaction. Chrom stared at the ground when he responded.

"…Yes. I bashed in part of the wall while training the Shepherds. It's only a small hole, and I'd thought it well concealed, but…" Robin held back a laugh as he grinned at the response, refusing to meet Chrom's gaze. That wasn't much of a problem though since Chrom continued to stare at the ground.

"Your secret is safe with me." Lucina said, too occupied to be amused at the moment. "I come here only to warn you." This grabbed both the captain and tactician's attention as they looked straight at her. Surely that wasn't something to joke about, and coming form Marth…

"Warn us?" Chrom questioned, once again looking concerned. Robin eyed the swordsman suspiciously.

"The exalt's life is in danger."

"What? Emmeryn?" Chrom stepped forward upon hearing that. "That's absurd. She's guarded at all hours." Lucina sighed, knowing that now was the time to reveal her origin in order to back her claim, though they most likely wouldn't believe her. She might as well tell them anyway.

"What if… What if I told you I have seen the future? Would you believe me? A future where Emmeryn is killed. Here. Tonight."

"Seen the future? Have you lost your wits?"

"Yes, I expected you wouldn't believe me. So allow me to prove it!" Lucina unsheathed Falchion and pointed it towards her father, who received the gesture as a threat. He grabbed his own sword's hilt as Lucina waited to see what his further actions would be. Waiting for her to make a move, they all came to a standstill. Lucina couldn't wait any longer.

"I'm about to save your life." She said, turning her head to look at the shrubs behind her. "From him." With that, an assassin darted out of the bush almost on cue but was quickly cut down by Lucina after she performed an impressive backflip to place herself behind him. All in one swift motion, her sword had cut clean through his back, leaving him dead in an instant. Chrom and Robin watched in amazement as her statement had come true. Without hesitation, she stood back up to meet her father's gaze from behind her mask.

"I trust this proof will suffice?"

"Yeah…" Chrom nearly whispered, too shocked at what had just happened. Not another second passed before the tree's leaves violently ruffled and revealed another assassin, lunging towards Lucina. Caught off guard by his sudden attack, she looked back and tried to run forwards at the same time but tripped on the first assassin's sword, leaving her wide open to the second. He flew down towards her as she slowly fell back before she felt a hard force push against her face. The small slits from which she was looking through suddenly fell, revealing a perfect picture. He had gotten her.

She fell back to the ground as she heard Chrom yelling and saw him dash by. Hitting the ground, she was able to catch herself but noticed her mask in two pieces in front of her. _Dammit!_ She thought, looking upon the broken mask that once had hidden her disguise so well. Her hair had also come loose, now hanging down her back yet again as it did before. She slowly stood up knowing that, once again, she was about to be hit with another wave of questioning. _Dammit! Dammit! Dammit!_ The second assassin lay dead on the ground between her and Chrom as Chrom turned around, more confused than ever.

"Wait you're- you're a woman?" She turned to face him, hoping to not have to explain her whole story right here.

"And quite the actress, too. Honestly I'm surprised you didn't figure it out until just now." That remark came out of nowhere, almost as if her mouth spoke on its own. She did need to keep her cool though; she would have to play along with whatever happened. Though her identity had been revealed, it still hadn't been _revealed_. They knew she was a woman now, but still not who she really was. Her father had to be kept oblivious to the fact. At least, though, it was nice to talk in her own voice again.

As she looked back at him, thinking of whether or not he would be the one to put the pieces together (though that would most likely be Robin), a loud explosion suddenly went off in the capitol, catching them all by surprise. Without a word, the three hurried into the building. Lucina led the way, knowing the castle's layout by heart; she did grow up there, after all. Her knowledge of the castle, the secret hole in the wall, the interior layout, probably rose suspicions in her father's head, as well as Robin's, but they would have to discuss it another time. Something was amiss near Emmeryn's room.

When they arrived, they noticed the rest of the Shepherds rallying around the room, being commanded by Frederick, who although had the situation under control, was relieved to see Chrom and Robin arrive. Chrom hurried to join up with his team and looked into Emmeryn's room where she was alone, alarmed and worried.

"Emm!"

"Chrom! Take Lissa and flee while you still have time!" She called, clasping her hands together in front of her chest, praying that her two siblings would be safe. But Chrom was the sort who would never back down, especially in a situation like this; Lucina knew. And surely enough, his response backed that statement.

"No! We're not leaving you! Just stay where it's safe!" He took command of the Shepherds and let Robin work his magic, stationing them into position around the room. Lucina watched the Shepherds follow orders and unsheathed Falchion, prepared to help them fight, only to notice that the blade was emitting a bright blue glow.

"Falchion is gleaming…" She said in surprise, unsure of whether or not she was even talking to anyone. Chrom didn't hear what she said, but wasn't about to let a comment from her go unheard.

"What's wrong?" He asked, walking over to her as the rest of the Shepherds scattered around them. She held it down to conceal it from him.

"It's not your concern."

"Seems like nothing ever is with you."

"My apologies."

"Just stay by Emmeryn's door. We'll handle the killers." He turned around and hurried back to Frederick and Robin who were waiting for him around the corner. They could hear the assassins assembling right on the other side of the walls so warned everyone in the group to be ready to fight. Lucina did as she was told and rushed over to Emmeryn's door, standing guard with Falchion gripped tightly in both hands. She looked around. To her left, half of the Shepherds rallied together in a small group, preparing for the oncoming wave of soldiers. To the right, the same thing. She stood at the locked door right in front of a hallway that was unguarded. Perhaps Robin hadn't noticed that one? Or… perhaps she was to guard it alone.

Emmeryn pleaded for Chrom to flee as the battle commenced, assassins revealing themselves from both sides and attacking the defending Shepherds. Each side was holding out well; Robin had made each team equal in skill after all, to even out their chances of holding out longer. Lucina was alone but not afraid; she had faced worse things in her lifetime, seen much worse. Experienced much worse. Though, she was worried; she did not know how many assassins were apart of the assault and they seemed to just keep coming, like there was no end to them. Although she was holding out well, she was worried about how the other two groups were doing. What if something happened? What if they were defeated? She shook her head at the thought.

 _You must stop worrying about that!_ She thought, as she fought off an attacking axe wielder. _They're the Shepherds! They won't be defeated by mere assassins._ She swiped her blade forward, only to have it immediately blocked. _How could you hold out longer than them anyway?_ _You should be worried about yourself._ The attacker returned the swing as Lucina easily deflected it to the side. _You must stop thinking about that! Focus!_ Falchion shot forward through the assassin's gut and then up across his chest. He fell to the ground in front of her as two more assassins came through the hallway.

She prepared to fight them, though noticed at that moment that Frederick had come to her aid. Robin hadn't forgotten about the hallway; it was just part of his plan to use Lucina as bait and ambush the oncoming assassins with Frederick. He surely was a talented tactician. Frederick could easily handle the two on his own and many more to be precise. Only one could fit through there at a time anyway; they were just running to their deaths at the hands of the great knight. Having some relief from battle, Lucina looked to her sides to see how the others were faring.

Each group was doing fine; much better than she expected. None of them were even injured, even though Lissa and Maribelle were placed in each group. They didn't even need to do anything. As she looked to her right, Lucina noticed another familiar face slip in in the far corner. Panne. The taguel snuck in and examined the area. She was easily able to recognize the Shepherds, all defending the Exalt's room. Chrom, however, had noticed her and was about to head over to attack her.

"Another assassin?" He questioned, as he left the formation in pursuit of the taguel.

"Hold!" Lucina called from her spot, noticing her father's intentions. "Panne is not your enemy."

"You know her?"

"I know… of her. And I knew she would come here tonight."

"Quite the prophet, aren't you?"

"As you say. And I swear to you, Panne is an ally." Lucina waited for her father's denial and some disastrous event to follow afterwards, but Chrom believed her just like that. Perhaps she had earned his trust all that quickly.

"…Good enough for me." He said, turning back and heading back to the group. "Alright, Shepherds! For now, we leave this Panne character be." Frederick questioned the decision but Chrom reassured him that Marth could be trusted. It made Lucina happy, though she knew not to show it. Besides, she couldn't be happy right now. Not in this situation. They got back to fighting off the assassins and Panne's actions proved Lucina's claims true. She was a powerful ally, boosting the chance of victory in the Shepherds' favor.

Her alliance swiftly pushed the battle along and before long, the assassins were wiped out. There was only one left, who made his way straight for Emmeryn's room. Panne had taken over Lucina's station who hurried to her father's side on the east side of the castle. He waited there with Robin, Frederick and a few other Shepherds for the final assassin to show. Lucina knew who it was.

She thought, perhaps, that she wouldn't need to search for the gemstones if they killed Validar; killing him would alter her future all in all and nothing more would need to be done. Emmeryn would be saved and Grima's most faithful servant would be put to rest. Right here. Right now. Changing these events would surely change the entire course of the future; Grima would never come to be revived and everything would be changed for good. She anxiously waited beside her father as Validar charged through the castle, straight for the exalt. Little did he know what awaited him, however.

Once he turned the corner, the entire group of Shepherds attacked him; Chrom leading the charge with Robin and Lucina following close behind. He was finished in a matter of seconds. Robin ordered the group to split up and secure the castle's safety, making sure there were no more assassins. Meanwhile, Chrom and Lissa hurried to their sister's side to make sure she was unharmed. Lucina just stood there and stared at Validar's body, disintegrating into a purple mist as the rest of the Shepherds all disappeared further into the castle. She had done it. That easily, the future was rewritten. The future was saved!

She hurried to Emmeryn's room and found the three siblings all safe, joyous over their victory. She smiled as she leaned against the doorframe. _I did it._ Sheathing Falchion, she watched them celebrate and heard the cheers and calls of the Shepherds behind her. _I really did it._

* * *

The silence of the night was soothing for the first time in what seemed like forever. Normally, silent nights in her future were eerily unsettling and only meant that there was no life around at all. For once, she was happy to hear nothing but her own footsteps on the ground beneath her. And for once, she was smiling. She walked through the courtyard, headed out of the castle, before turning around to get one last look at her old home. Well, her future home in this timeline; she wasn't even born here yet. Turning around to continue on her way, Chrom appeared and stood in front of her. They both stopped.

"Going somewhere? You have a bad habit of leaving without saying goodbye, you know."

"Yes, I'm afraid I have a few bad habits." Lucina admitted, thinking about the many things she did that others didn't understand. Keeping so secretive was necessary but not really appreciated by anyone.

"Good ones as well- you saved my life, as well as both of my sisters. Is there a way I can repay you? Some favor I can grant?" The words, coming from her father's lips, were comforting and greeted Lucina with warmth. It had been so long since she could have a peaceful conversation with her father. She smiled again.

"Hearing you offer is reward enough."

"But there must be something…" He continued, unsatisfied with her answer. How could a simple sentence make up for her saving three lives? She simply brushed off the offer though.

"I have what I came for: history has been rewritten."

"And what future averted?"

"After the exalt's untimely assassination, the Fire Emblem would be stolen. This, in turn, would lead to a great war, and soon to the end of mankind itself." Lucina shook her head. "…But I'm sure that sounds like madness to you."

"Strangely, no… it doesn't." Chrom responded, much to her surprise. Perhaps her earlier actions had proved that she knew more than he thought and he had accepted that.

"Somehow I know I can trust you. And I hope someday to repay your favors."

"Perhaps someday you shall. Until then…" With that, Lucina continued forward. Though she had completed her mission and wanted to reveal her identity, mostly to her father, she still remembered what Gerome had said. It didn't matter if her mission was complete; she still could not become too involved here. And since her mission was done, it was time for her to leave. She held onto Falchion as she exited the capitol, relieved and thankful. She still couldn't believe she had done it; it was so easy!

 _I wonder where the others are right now…_ She thought, looking around at the scenery of the Halidom. It was beautiful. Although it was dark, the kingdom truly looked gorgeous. Maybe it was just because it was still in one piece; nothing was in ruins or destroyed like in her future. It was such a familiar place to her, yet it looked so different. As she admired it, she had the idea to set out to find her friends. With her mission completed, she now had the rest of the time for herself. She would go and search for them, that much was certain.

 **Author's Note**

 **Long chapter to make up for the last chapter being so short! Also the second to last chapter for Lucina. I wanted to wrap up her story in this chapter but figured that I had a good place to end it and I didn't want to make it too long. If you're wondering why I skipped out on some events, it's because I'm trying to write the story from Lucina's point of view, so she wouldn't be there for every event of the game; I'm not writing the game's entire plot. That will happen if I ever do a general Fire Emblem Awakening story intended just for that.**


	5. Chapter 5- Lucina

Her heart pounded against her chest as if wanting to escape from her body as Lucina raced to the Plegian castle's courtyard. Word had reached her that Emmeryn was to be executed there during the same day. She almost couldn't believe it. What had happened? What had happened since she left? She finally thought everything was changed; she never imagined this happening! She had made it to Plegia and was on her way to the castle, though it wasn't an easy task. Being in Plegia, if you didn't belong there, without causing attention was nearly impossible. She had to sneak around and be even more careful than she had in the past; getting caught here would only lead to horrendous results, possibly even her death. If she was spotted and attacked, her odds of getting out of such a situation were thin. Very thin. Especially without causing alarm… no, that was almost certain. Being caught wasn't an option.

It had only been a couple of days since she left. She couldn't imagine anything going so wrong in such a short period of time. As soon as she took her eyes off of the very people she was supposed to protect, they were already lining up to be killed. This hadn't taken place in her time! Anything could happen to her father or any of the other Shepherds in their rescue mission. Anything could happen to any of them, including Emmeryn. And for Emmeryn, things didn't look too good.

Lucina didn't actually know where the Shepherds were at this point however; in fact, she didn't really know anything. She had no clue whether or not they even heard about what was happening. There was a high chance that they knew, and she guessed they were carrying out a rescue mission, but she couldn't be sure about anything; that much was clear to her now. And she had to act on her own without relying on them; they were the ones who had to rely on her, after all.

The sand blew in her face as she held up her arms in front of her head to protect herself while her hair, mixed with sand and dirt, continuously pulled at the back of her head. She had been in Plegia since this morning so she thought, and hoped, that she was getting close to the castle. She never liked Plegia to begin with; it seemed that most of the trouble in her lifetime arose from the very kingdom. Not to mention that its terrain wasn't exactly what one would call… pleasant. It was far from it, in fact; the endless scorching deserts with their treacherous sandstorms, the numerous ruins of old castles and temples, the number of dangerous islands right off its coast. And that wasn't even mentioning the enormous, menacing platform for sacrificing thousands of lives, otherwise known as the Dragon's Table. Indeed, Plegia wasn't very pleasant at all.

Lucina thought on the matter as she grabbed her cape, which was furiously billowing behind her and threw it around her face. She pulled it down to cover her nose and mouth, creating a scarf, which allowed her to breath. Her arms went back up over her head in an attempt to cover her eyes; she wished that she still had her mask; it would be useful in a time like this. She could barely see ahead; due to the unfortunate timing of the event, she had been caught in a sandstorm on her way to the castle, dramatically slowing her pace. She wasn't quite sure if she would make it in time.

Those negative thoughts never seemed to leave her head, no matter how hard she tried to get rid of them; there was always a place for them in the back of her mind. No one could blame her though; she had been through much worse than anyone she had known, even her own father. Good fortune was something that she rarely came across and whenever it _had_ appeared, it was only followed by dreadful events. Events leading to the downfall of a kingdom, the resurrection of a dragon, and most commonly, the death of a loved one. It was almost as though she wasn't allowed to live a happy life.

Treading up a large mountain of sand, Lucina finally reached the top and saw the Plegian castle in the distance. The sight gave her a feeling of both hope and despair. She needed to get there as soon as possible, though she was afraid of what she would find once she arrived. She started down the mountain, watching her feet sink into the deep sand with every step. Her feet felt heavy due to the immense amount of sand lodged inside of her shoes and lifting her legs was difficult. She was filthy and had sand covering every inch of her body; it was even in her mouth from before she had wrapped her cape around her head. She could feel it all over her face; its rough, itchy texture begging her to wipe it off as it continued to pile onto her skin. She refused to tend to herself before arriving at the castle, however. It wouldn't do anything anyway, since she just continued forwards into a large cloud of shooting sand.

* * *

It wasn't long before Lucina arrived at the Plegian castle. Although the terrain fought against her, she refused to let herself slack off and had quickened her pace to the castle upon seeing it. Now that she was here, she was ready to save Emmeryn, despite the toll that the arduous and energy-consuming journey took on her. She quickly emptied the sand out of her shoes, but that was all; once she could walk normally again, she snuck over to the courtyard as fast as she could without getting caught. Once she got to the courtyard, she realized she was sneaking alongside the colossal skeleton of the Fell Dragon as she moved forwards in search of Emmeryn. The skeleton was withered and clearly very old, but its size was bone chilling. However the first exalt managed to defeat such a monster was beyond Lucina; it was enormous! It only brought back horrific memories to her as she stood by it, using it for cover to hide from any nearby Plegian guards. She noticed, however, that there weren't any.

Darting out from behind the skeleton, it became clear why there were no soldiers on guard; they were all dead. She ran past Plegian bodies everywhere. Bloodstained weapons lie by the corpses, which lie in mounds of bloodstained sand. It was bloody mess, though Lucina was used to the sight of such horror, unfortunately. There was at least some good news that came with this though; her father was here, she was sure of it. The thought gave her a little more reassurance and she began to feel more confident that Emmeryn wouldn't die here. She could change it! However, that confidence was short lived; before she was even able to draw Falchion, she turned a corner and witnessed one of the most horrifying events in all her life.

From the top of a large rocky perch in the distance, hundreds of feet off the ground, stood the exalt herself. That was all Lucina saw before she watched in horror as Emmeryn threw herself from the platform. Everything seemed to happen in slow motion as she fell; the Shepherds all watched in shock as hands rose up over mouths and eyes and screams filled the air. All faces were turned towards the exalt, including Lucina's. She couldn't bear to watch though and turned away as Emmeryn's rapid descent for earth abruptly ended, sending a chilling horror and dread through the onlookers' bodies and prompting a laugh from the Mad King.

Lucina didn't move as she heard her father scream somewhere far off behind her. Soldiers no longer attacked. Voices no longer spoke. It was silent, save for Plegia's king taunting Chrom and the rest of the Shepherds, boasting about his wicked feat. Lucina fell to the ground upon hearing the things the Mad King had to say and her father's hopeless, broken voice desperately fighting back. She was turned away from them, all of them: the Shepherds, the Plegians, the king and the captain. She was turned away from Emmeryn's body. Her vision started to spin; to spiral into a vortex through which she could not see. Her head was pounding as she felt her heart drop and her chest felt tight, almost like she couldn't breath.

In her panic, she heard Basilio's voice, something she hadn't heard since the Feroxi tournament. He ordered Chrom to retreat with the Shepherds. Although she wasn't watching, Lucina then heard the group retreat and the king continue to mock the party as they fled. He didn't even follow them himself. What a coward he was. Lucina picked herself up off the ground and quickly slid into a small crevice in the wall she was next to. She wasn't sure what had happened before she arrived, though she wished with all her heart that she had gotten here earlier. Perhaps her presence would've changed things; she could've helped during the attack, she could've saved Emmeryn!

"I'm too late…" she whispered to herself, burying her face into her hands. "Our bleak future is written once more… and darkness awaits us all." She desperately tried to keep her breathing at a steady pace as she looked up and peered through a crack in the other side of the wall to see what lie beyond. Through it, she could see more dead Plegians littering the courtyard. Alongside Emmeryn's body, another horrific sight caught her eye; the Pegasus Knights, all shot down and brutally murdered lie among the countless dead. Lucina quickly looked away and covered her eyes again, desperately trying not to cry. Why had this happened? Why had this happened? She had tried so hard to change this! She had given it everything she had, so why was this still happening?

She waited until Gangrel and Aversa disappeared into the Castle and the risen archers scattered. She had no idea how the risen had arrived here, but it didn't matter. At that very moment, it seemed almost that nothing mattered anymore; Lucina was beginning to feel hopeless. Once all of the enemies were gone, she quickly slipped out and ran away from the castle as quickly as she could. She wanted to be nowhere near there. Even though she wanted to run away, she followed the path of the Shepherds. Although the sand was a terrible nuisance, it had at least shown the Shepherds' route. That would have been a problem had the Plegians followed, though they hadn't. What a spineless ruler they followed.

* * *

Lucina had kept close to the Shepherds after that horrific incident. It was her job to protect them, yet she had already failed; what kind of savior was she? Emmeryn was supposed to be spared; it was Lucina's job to save her! What would the other children think when they found out? The haunting thoughts kept eating away at Lucina from the inside as she followed the Shepherds into the midmire. It wasn't a very nice place, though that much was evident; it was still in Plegia, after all.

The place was dark and gloomy and looked like some sort of giant graveyard. Small broken down forts sat scattered among a sea of mud and wet sand; a steady rain that poured down here never let up, flooding the area and making movement even more difficult than it already was. Bones lie evident among the mire, only adding to its malevolent atmosphere. Large rocks coated in layers of mud formed small mountains and few forts sat atop those summits. It wasn't a welcoming sight; the forts would provide a perfect ambush spot for enemies. And surely enough, as luck would have it, they did just that.

Running through the mire, the Shepherds were ambushed by more Plegians. Gangrel hadn't followed them himself, but sent out underlings to do his dirty work. The extent of his cowardice made Lucina boil up inside; she wanted to join the Shepherds and slay every Plegian in their way. She wanted revenge for what he had done. But she kept her temper under control and kept her distance from the fighting. It was hard for her not to join every battle that the Shepherds took part in, but she was doing well with keeping herself hidden; she couldn't break now. The battle was not only difficult for the Shepherds to fight, but also difficult for Lucina to watch. Most of the Shepherds were still too shocked at what had just happened; their fighting was poor and sloppy and very rushed. They all wanted to get out of here as soon as possible. Few of them remained calm whilst fighting, though Chrom was not among that group.

The captain was heartbroken and out of the crack in his heart poured pure wrath and resentment. He didn't follow Robin's orders, almost getting himself killed a number of times, much to Lucina's dismay. He broke the formation numerous times to kill any stray Plegians headed towards the rear of the group, ruining Robin's plans and putting the entire army at risk. It was almost like he was on a rampage. But Chrom didn't care; more than anything, he wanted to kill Gangrel. Wanted to pierce the king's bleeding black heart with his sword and watch the man suffer the way he had. Chrom's broken mental state hurt Lucina more than anything at the time. She felt it was her fault that this had happened; she couldn't save Emmeryn, and in turn, couldn't make her father happy.

The battle was quick and fortunately, despite Chrom's reckless actions, the entire group made it out alive, though not all unharmed. The Plegians weren't an easy force to be reckoned with and injured many of the Shepherds in their desperate escape. Chrom was injured himself, though Robin and Frederick did their best to keep him moving. Eventually they all made it past the enemy's territory and met up with the soon-to-be member of the Shepherds, Olivia. She snuck the group out of Plegia, with Lucina hitching a ride on the back of one of the carriages. Lucina watched the surviving enemies grow smaller and smaller as they gained distance. It was dark and cold, making it hard for her to hang onto the carriage as it quickly rolled along the uneven and slippery path.

* * *

Nothing would be more satisfying than seeing the Mad King slaughtered to get a taste of his own medicine. That satisfaction wasn't delayed for long, for over the next couple of days, that fantasy would be turned into reality. After the Shepherds regrouped in Ferox, only a day or two passed before they left for Plegia again, this time leading a large portion of the Feroxi army into battle. Basilio and Flavia had led a charge against Gangrel's army in order for the Shepherds to go straight for their king. And for once, luck was with them; Emmeryn's sacrifice had changed the hearts and minds of thousands of Plegians who threw down their weapons and refused to fight. Gangrel's army was in shambles and his solution (to wipe out the mutiny by force) only weakened his army further.

Despite the shrinking size and threat of the Plegian army, the battle was still far from an easy feat; lots of Feroxi soldiers died in combat and thousands were injured on both sides, including members of the Shepherds. Robin's tactics prevented any Shepherds' lives from being taken, though their skill in combat was up to each individual. Although there was much bloodshed, the time finally came for Chrom to avenge his sister. Meeting the Mad King in battle, Chrom and Gangrel fought to the death until Falchion pierced that cold, emotionless heart that was the source of so much pain and suffering, and the battle was won. All surviving Plegians surrendered and the fighting had finally ceased.

Seeing the Mad King die in front of her own eyes was morbidly satisfying to Lucina. Only Validar and Grima received more hatred and resentment from her than Gangrel. She never imagined watching someone die would be so…. fulfilling. Thinking of it like that disturbed her, but she knew that his death was necessary for peace to reign over the kingdoms once again. Now that Gangrel was gone, his endless attempts to provoke war between the two nations would cease and hopefully, in time, their relationship would heal. It was astonishing how the death of one man could change the course of two nations. And that event was long past due.

After the war between Plegia and Ferox and the Halidom, things seemed to get better, at least for a little while. Although it was tough work for Lucina's father and Robin, the captain and tactician worked endlessly to see peace back into their kingdom and to rebuild and restore the kingdom's glory. The army was repaired and made much stronger, destroyed towns and cities were rebuilt, and the relationship with Plegia was slowly being mended. All seemed to be going well and Lucina was happy with the progress that they were making. However, she was especially excited for one event in particular: Chrom's wedding. He was soon to be married to the most beautiful woman in the world, at least in Lucina's eyes. She was so thrilled to be able to see her parents get married; from up until she could remember, all of her life had been spent working tirelessly and training constantly. She never had much time for pleasure or fun; there's not really time for that when you have to save the world from a god of death and destruction, after all. This, however, would be her one break in a long time; the one time she could enjoy what was happening around her.

Her gratification was well lived, as the royal wedding was astounding. Thousands showed up from both the Halidom and Ferox for the grand ceremony, including all of the Shepherds and both of the Feroxi khans, as Chrom was married to the love of his life. The wedding was beautiful; banners, streamers, ribbons, confetti, lights, and flowers flooded the courtyard in which it took place. Guests were dressed in lavish dresses and suits and mingled amongst each other in the sea of celebration. Never had Lucina seen a place so colorful and vibrant in all her life. She was also able to walk among the setting herself, using a robe she picked out in town to cover herself and shield her identity. She didn't really fit in with the fancy nobles in the courtyard however, so she watched the wedding from one of the castle's elevated balconies.

Her mother looked beautiful in the elaborate yet alluring wedding dress she wore. It caught everyone's attention as she walked down the aisle to Lucina's father, who also looked incredible. Well, at least to Lucina more so than anyone else, save for her mother. Once the rituals had finished, Chrom and his wife and greeted the commoners outside of the courtyard, those whom Lucina joined. She snuck into the large crowd and was suspected by no one; none of them would have known anything about her anyway. It was nice to finally be able to walk amongst people without having to sneak around everywhere.

She looked up at her parents who came out onto the allure and waved to the lively crowd below. The entire crowd had all waited throughout the entirety of the wedding just to see their new queen. Lucina, standing among them, was once again smiling; this time, with certainty. Seeing her mother and father together and so happy lifted her spirits and made her temporarily forget about all of the grief and pain that she had endured. For once in so long, she had a moment that she treasured and became caught up in, hoping it would never end. Unfortunately, time had to move on.

* * * Two Years Later * * *

Lucina snuck into her parents' bedroom through an open window after scaling the castle wall. Climbing that thing was not easy, but she had practiced such strange things before. It was especially difficult to keep quiet while climbing it, specifically because of her sword, but she was able to successfully make it into the room without being spotted by any guards. Although she intended to do so, and did so without any trouble, that was also the exact problem she worried about; the castle really needed better guards. That would be a matter she would have to discuss with her father at some point in the future. It wouldn't be easy telling him how she knew so much about the castle guard; she would have to reveal her intentions of sneaking around, but she was prepared to do so for her family's safety. Especially since she didn't think Chrom would really mind that much; he trusted her, after all.

Lucina looked over to her parents' bed; they were both asleep. There were no guards in their bedroom, only right outside of the door so she could freely sneak around inside as long as she was quiet. And that she was. She tiptoed over to her mother's side of the bed and peeked her head over a small crib wall. Inside, lay a tiny clone of herself: a baby Lucina. The baby made Lucina smile as she reached down to touch the sleeping infant. It was an unexplainable feeling to be able to see herself in another body, especially one so young. She was looking at herself, only a newborn with little hair but vibrant eyes. Such vibrant eyes. She couldn't see them now, but she had seen them before when baby Lucina was awake, though that experience hadn't gone over well; she had snuck in once before to see the baby, but she was awake. Lucina had been able to get a good look at her face and reached down to touch her before the baby started bawling, prompting Lucina to rush out of the room and nearly throw herself out the window. She had been much more careful from then on, making sure not to touch the baby if she was awake.

Luckily, she was asleep, so Lucina gently stroked her little head. Her soft blue hair took on the exact same color as her own; apparently it had been that dark since birth. In her left eye was the brand of the exalt, the same location as Lucina's. That was a good sign; nothing had gone wrong and she was a healthy baby girl. _Thank the gods._ Lucina thought, retracting her hand while still looking at the newborn. _May you grow up to be as strong and healthy as I am_. Her mother stirred in bed and Lucina quickly retreated to the window, looking back at her baby self one last time. Her smile faded as she left the room, silently making her way down the stone wall.

* * *

At least for those two years, things were quiet and peaceful. Lucina had kept her guard up the entire time but finally had more reason to be concerned once Raimi arrived in Ylisstol, summoning Chrom to Regna Ferox. Owing the Feroxi a great debt for their assistance in the last war, Chrom immediately left for Ferox with the Shepherds, with Lucina secretly in tow. Upon arriving in the neighboring kingdom, Lucina learned that apparently the Valmese had attacked Ferox for no reason; they had just launched an unexpected invasion on the kingdom in hopes of conquering it and offering the land to the Conqueror himself, Walhart. It seemed that bad news would wait no longer than two years to show up; it _had_ been a while without it.

Chrom and the Shepherds agreed to help Flavia and Basilio secure their ports from the approaching Valmese army, who would be arriving in only a matter of days. In the meantime, the Shepherds all took refuge in the Feroxi Castle. Lucina couldn't reveal herself yet so she camped out outside of the castle, a ways from its outer curtain wall to avoid being spotted by guards but close enough to the castle's entrance so she wouldn't miss the morning's march. It was at times like these that she wished she could be with the group, inside and enjoying the luxury of a grand castle rather than camping outside in the snow. She deserved much more than the treatment she was getting from this harsh and demanding world, but the need for her secrecy came with a price. It was unfortunate that she would have to keep watching the group for so long; she didn't know when she could stop. Maybe… maybe she wouldn't be able to stop. If she couldn't change the course of the future by changing current events, she would just have to keep changing everything until they fought Grima himself. What could be done otherwise?

Validar was already killed yet Emmeryn still died, despite that fact. Gangrel was now dead as well, but the Shepherds were now being dragged into another war. Were her actions really preventing anything from happening, or was Grima to be resurrected in the end anyway? Was the world really destined to be destroyed after all? It seemed that even though the Shepherds were achieving more than they had in her future, things would still turn up bad afterwards. Because of that, she couldn't be sure how long she would have to stay with them for. When would these terrible events come to an end? When would all this endless bloodshed cease?

Lucina pitched up a small tent and lie down inside. She had gone to the market in town earlier upon discovering that the Shepherds were staying in the castle overnight and bought some supplies for camping out. She couldn't start a fire to keep her warm, however, in fear of getting caught by guards so she simply bought an excessive amount of blankets. As the Shepherds spent the rest of the day inside the castle after Chrom's meeting with the khans, Lucina was busy setting up her small campsite. Well, just her tent to be precise. She could've stayed in town, but she felt more comfortable being as close to the Shepherds as possible, even if it meant being on the ground. Plus, her current location in front of the castle allowed her to view its entrance perfectly; that way, she would be certain of when they would be leaving for the ports in the morning. Waking up wasn't an issue for her, after all; she was, and always had been, and early riser.

As she bundled herself in blankets, she thought about the others. It had been over two years now since she had seen them last, and she missed them more than anything. It was like their roles and her father's were reversed; for some reason, the world wasn't allowing her to be with all of them at the same time. She wondered where they were and what they were doing. Had all of them ended up in this world safely? Had they all been delivered to the same time period? Were they all still… She didn't want to think that anything had happened to any of them, so she immediately quit thinking about it before an endless wave of negative thoughts once again took over her mind. Besides, she needed sleep. Tomorrow they would be facing the Valmese fleet early in the morning.

* * *

Next morning's battle wasn't very different from any previous battles the Shepherds had endured. Just like they had predicted, the Valmese fleet showed up and tried to claim everything in Ferox for the Conqueror. All of the Shepherds were stationed at one of the Feroxi ports, ready for combat and successfully defended the harbor before noon even came. However, Lucina's attention was only focused on the Shepherds, so she hadn't been traveling through all of the other Feroxi ports and didn't notice a couple of them be ravaged by the Valmese fleet. Though all of the ports were successfully defended in the end, some of them had taken lots of damage, as well as the surrounding towns. Of course, lots of Feroxi soldiers were killed in the assault as well.

And that wasn't even the full fight; the Valmese army's strong point was their cavalry, so carrying out a full fight on land would have devastating effects on the Feroxi army. The khans discussed the situation with Chrom and Robin in one of the ports as Lucina tried to think of something herself. She was on top of a large storehouse at the port, hiding among the boxes and barrels on the roof. The ground was leveled at both areas of the storehouse; it was higher up on one side of the building and descended on the other side, leading into the port so Lucina didn't have any difficulty getting to where she was. She didn't have to climb any walls either since the roof was ground level on the one side. As she ducked behind some stacked boxes, trying to think of a helpful strategy for the Shepherds to use, her thoughts were cut short after Robin had already come up with a solution. He had decided to attack the Valmese at sea.

It seemed like a perfect plan to Lucina at first, but the upcoming questions from Chrom and the khans made her realize that neither of their kingdoms possessed any warships. What the heck was Robin thinking? Her own question was answered as Robin proposed to request aid from Plegia. Lucina thought the exact same way as her father; they both disagreed with the notion, thinking that it was a terrible idea, though Lucina couldn't express her thoughts to them. She only watched the discussion take place down below and prayed that her father would change Robin's mind, though it actually had turned out to be the other way around. Robin and the two khans had managed to convince Chrom that Plegia was the last kingdom they could turn to and they would be obligated to help them since the threat was aimed at all of them.

Lucina knew that that logic was correct, though she was still upset that her father agreed to the plan. Frederick saw to it that a messenger was immediately sent out to Plegia as the Shepherds all headed back to the Feroxi castle. Lucina reluctantly picked herself up afterwards, following them back. _Dammit!_ She thought, recalling all of the misfortune that they had whenever they were previously involved with Plegia. _That kingdom has caused nothing but trouble for us. Why do we turn to them in our time of need?_ Although she wondered that, she knew that it was their only option, so the answer to that question was clear. She didn't like it one bit though…

In a couple of days, the Shepherds headed out to Plegia. Chrom took Robin and Frederick into the castle to meet with their new king, who Lucina prayed to be more reasonable and… levelheaded than their last one. Unfortunately, sneaking into the castle didn't look like an option this time. Guards were posted all over both inside and outside of the castle, many more than Lucina had ever seen. She had a bad feeling about her father going in there; if their king was hostile, then he could be killed… he most likely would due to the fact that only three members of the Shepherds went in there. They were completely surrounded. Lucina suddenly realized what she was thinking and smacked herself on the head. _They're going only in there to request aid!_ She thought, watching the three of them disappear into the castle. _This isn't a war! They'll be fine…_ Once they were out of sight, she had no option but to wait for them to come back out once the meeting was done so she hid behind a large rock on top of a hill a little ways from the castle's entrance.

She had already inspected the exterior of the castle earlier looking for some kind of way in but found nothing. The walls of the castle were sturdy and reinforced and guards patrolled the allure around the clock. She was feeling uneasy not being able to watch her father and see what he was doing. She knew he only went in there to talk, but she didn't know anything about Plegia's new king whom he was meeting with. Plus, Chrom waltzed right into the Plegian castle! Although it should be safe, last time they were here someone died! Someone whom Lucina was supposed to protect… She knew her father had slowly been repairing the Halidom's relationship with Plegia, but she still couldn't relax. Not only had they killed their king, but they had also pretty much destroyed the Plegian army and even used nothing but Plegia's gold afterwards for reparations. She felt like, even with time passing and this relationship "mending" that was still something to hold a grudge over. But what did she know?

Holding her breath upon hearing sounds from inside, she was relieved to see her father come out of the castle safely alongside Robin and Frederick, who were both perfectly fine as well. She was worrying over nothing, though… they did look extremely confused. Their faces held a concerned expression, all of them. Had this new king declined their request? That must have been what happened, Lucina figured. It's just… they looked so bewildered. She followed them as they left for Carrion Isle, meeting up with the rest of the Shepherds along the way. From Carrion Isle, they would be headed to meet the Valmese army at sea and afterwards, if all went well and they were able to win that battle, straight for Valm to stop the Conqueror himself. The plan was risky, knowing how large the Valmese army was in comparison to the Shepherds', but Lucina trusted her father, who in turn trusted his tactician. That gave Lucina reason to believe in Robin's actions and decisions, so she came to trust him more and more along her journey. She would have to trust every decision of his, including this next one; staying at Carrion Isle over night.

Carrion Isle was still apart of Plegia and it was also said to be one of the most dangerous islands off the coast, only reinforcing Lucina's uncertainty of this plan, even though she knew she had to trust it. She didn't like the island at all though; it had the same dark and gloomy atmosphere as the midmire, though there was a much more menacing presence here. The island itself looked dead for the most part; though there were trees and other greenery growing, the color of the island itself was a dark greenish gray and the ambience was very negative, almost as if a strong melancholy hung in the air. It just wasn't welcoming at all.

Lucina didn't know if the Shepherds took too much notice to it or not; they were pretty preoccupied with setting up camp for the night, especially since it was starting to get dark so they had to hurry. Besides, the dreary feel of the island must have stood out to her much more than anyone else, since she would once again be camping out alone. It's only natural for one to be more worried when alone, especially in a place like this. This time, however, Lucina wasn't quite sure what she was going to do for a campsite; she didn't have any supplies and there wasn't anywhere to get any around here. And if there was, she strongly disagreed with the idea of going there alone; for some reason, she felt like something was coming. Like something was going to attack her. By this point in her life, she had learned to trust her gut feeling so she stayed on guard and figured she'd just keep watch for now.

Climbing another large hill, she settled down between some rocks and trees, which made a nice little hideout for her and also had a distinct clearing over the Shepherds' camp. From here, she could easily watch them without being noticed. For a while, nothing special happened. Shepherds would constantly be going in and out of tents, moving supplies, setting up dinner, taking inventory. Some of them tended to the animals while others continued to set up camp. They all seemed to be working pretty quickly since the light of day was fading; the sunset wasn't visible from where they were because of their location in between large hills and mountains, so the light overhead was even more precious while it still remained.

Lucina just watched the group of soldiers scurrying about below for a long time before they eventually all finished dinner and went to bed. A couple of them took the night watch, staying up around camp while the others slept. It was uneventful after that; the night was quiet and everything seemed to have settled down. But, for some reason, Lucina still had a feeling of an imminent danger. Although everything had seemed calm, she felt like something was going to happen soon; that feeling urged her to stay awake and keep watch over the group, despite the fact that some of them were staying up anyway for that very reason. But from here, she had a better view and felt like they were more secure this way with her watching from above. So she continued to do so.

After a while of nothing happening, Lucina noticed Robin leave his tent and wander off alone away from camp. He didn't go too far, but no one awake in camp had noticed him leave. Grabbing her attention, she watched him as he walked out into a small opening and inspected the area. What was he up to? He mumbled something to himself but Lucina was too far away to hear it. He stood there for a second before looking around again. This time, it looked like he was looking for something… or someone. Like someone had called his name or he heard something and was trying to find the source of the noise. This caught Lucina's attention even more so she stood up and moved to the side past a couple more rocks to be a bit closer to him. Maybe she would be able to hear what he heard if she were closer.

She didn't leave the hill, but watched as Robin stood still for a moment before suddenly hunching over in pain and grabbing his head. _What had happened?_ She thought, suddenly very worried about the tactician. _Was he injured? When? What's he doing?_ She watched in confusion and concern as he started to groan in pain and grip his head even tighter. Lucina wanted to go down there and see what was wrong, but she knew she couldn't. More than anything she was confused; what was happening? If this was some kind of injury wouldn't he have sought medical attention earlier? It must have been something else!

All of the sudden Robin started talking to someone; someone who wasn't there. He was the only one standing there and he was too far from camp for anyone to hear him talking in the volume he was speaking in, so what was he doing? Whom was he talking to? Lucina couldn't make out anything he said before he shouted at someone to "get out of his mind." The sudden outburst caught Lucina off guard. She also had no idea what that meant… Robin continued to mumble as if speaking to someone for a couple minutes before Chrom came running from camp to see what was wrong after hearing him scream. Lucina desperately tried to hear what they were saying, but was still too far away, allowing her only to watch. Robin let go of his head and stood up straight before turning to Chrom and talking for a minute. It seemed like he was okay now, but… what just happened?

She didn't have time to ponder the incident however, since Frederick came running from camp at high speed and interrupted the situation further. He somehow knew where Chrom was and immediately informed him that the camp was under attack by risen. Lucina knew it! Whatever had just happened with Robin would have to wait; they had a bigger problem now. Chrom quickly returned to camp with Robin and Frederick and the three of them assembled the Shepherds to prepare for battle. The risen weren't in the camp yet so the Shepherds hurried out to meet them, hoping to keep a distance between the battle and their camp.

Lucina scrambled down the hill after the Shepherds; although she was only going to watch the battle, she wouldn't be able to see it from atop her hill because of the surrounding trees. Plus, she needed to be close by in case anything happened. She followed them until they met up with the risen, the battle soon taking place in a large clearing divided up by a ravine. Lucina hid behind some nearby trees to watch. She made sure she could keep an eye on everyone, especially her father, while also keeping a safe distance and remaining concealed. She also kept an eye on Robin; she was a little worried about him on account of that incident and wanted to make sure that he was okay.

The tactician, however, seemed fine. He gave his orders to the Shepherds who diligently obeyed, wiping the risen out quite efficiently. Many of them were pretty exhausted, mostly because they hadn't had the chance to rest, but Robin took everything into account. Because of that possibility, he grouped them up so awareness and strength wouldn't be an issue. The groups, like most of the time, were equally matched in skill and consisted of about the same amount of members.

However, although the Shepherds were distributed equally, the battle wasn't easily won. The risen were stronger than usual, not like any of the other ones they had fought before. Each of them were smarter as well, sometimes grouping up to challenge the Shepherds' own strategy and acting quicker in battle. Chrom took note of the fact from fighting them himself. He had been slightly overconfident going into this battle, assuming that they were just the slow, dull-witted creatures they had fought in the past. He soon realized their enhanced strength, however, after almost getting killed by one of them. He had earlier ordered Robin to work with the Shepherds while he took on the risen coming from the west alone. Two of them struck at once, quickly putting him on the defensive and causing him to immediately regret his decision.

It took everything Lucina had to keep herself from jumping in to save him. He had managed to handle them in the end, but the battle was gut wrenching to watch; so many times it looked like they had him pinned or outmatched and so many times he was almost killed. _This is probably why Robin usually doesn't take orders from him in battle,_ Lucina thought, watching in mental agony as her father had finally managed to kill the last one. He slowly pulled his sword out of the disintegrating body as he looked back to the Shepherds. They had all finished fighting as well and clearly showed signs of exhaustion from the sudden call for action.

Chrom wiped his brow as Robin met up with him on the bridge of an old dam over the ravine. Robin looked tired as well; his face looked a bit pale and he had dark bags under his eyes. His white hair was all ruffled and his slow pace told Chrom that he was exhausted. Chrom rubbed his neck to ease the cramp he was getting as Robin stopped in front of him.

"That's the last of them." Chrom said, closing his eyes while still massaging his neck. "Gods, I thought it might nev-"

"Chrom! Look out!" Robin instantly shouted, but before Chrom could move, an assassin appeared out of nowhere and ambushed him.

"Father, no!" Lucina shouted, already half way to her father. Her legs acted on their own as she jumped to his side, deflecting a blow from the risen. It jumped back as she took a ready stance, pointing Falchion straight at it. However, it just disappeared in front of her, using a teleportation method to flee. Robin stared on in shock, his tome ready in his hand; he had never seen a risen use teleportation. Surely, these risen were not ordinary. He turned his attention to Lucina though, as did Chrom. The look on Chrom's face explained his understanding of what had just happened: nothing.

"Thank the gods you're safe!" Lucina breathed, holding her hand up to her heart.

"…You called me 'Father'."

"Did I? I…" _Dammit! Did I really do that?_ She thought, clueless as to how to respond. Maybe this was finally the time to tell him, after all. She figured she had waited long enough. "Perhaps we might speak privately?"

"Perhaps we should, yes."

* * *

Lucina wiped the tears from her eyes. Everything had come rushing out as her father realized who she really was. Having him understand that she was his daughter was so relieving and caused her to break down right then and there. She hadn't ever been able to tell him, able to talk to him normally about whom she was; and that hurt the most. She loved her father more than anything and not being able to interact with him was devastating. He had died so many years ago in her timeline and when she came back and saw him first, she was overwhelmed with joy. He was here; he was alive. But now, being able to be with him once again was an unexplainable feeling; one that left her speechless. She stepped back and stared at the ground as the two of them stood alone in silence.

"Better, Lucina?"

"Yes. Father… I'm sorry. It just all rushed back at once."

"Father…" Chrom repeated, trying the words out on his tongue.

"Should I call you something else?" Lucina immediately felt worried that she had offended him, but he shrugged off the idea.

"No, it's just strange to my ear. I like it."

"…Father! Heh heh."

"Hah! Yes, it will take some getting used to." Chrom smiled, scratching the back of his head. He surely never would have guessed that this "Marth" would eventually turn out to be his daughter. Knowing that now, he felt like there was a lot he was going to have to get used to. As they stood there talking, Robin and Lucina's mother made their way over to see what they were up to.

"I'm sorry-Chrom?"

"Huh? Oh, Robin. What is it?" Robin shook his head as if in disappointment that Chrom didn't get the hint.

"It's just that…" He began, trying not to spell it out, but couldn't really put it any other way. "Well, you two are out here alone, and Marth is… crying." He put his hand up to his head. "This is how ill rumors are born." Chrom looked back to Lucina who returned the motion.

"Can we tell them, Lucina?"

"Of course."

"I am Chrom's daughter, although I am her from another time. From a time that is yet to be."

"You mean… the future?" Lissa asked, finding the group and butting into the conversation.

"Yes, more than ten years hence. After history takes a dark and most destructive turn…"

"But why? What happens in the future?" Robin asked.

"The Fell Dragon, Grima, is resurrected. His roar is a death knell for man, a scream that silences all hope…" Lucina looked to the ground, the thoughts bringing back horrendous memories. "Death everywhere…" She continued.

"Chrom? Our whole company? All of us? Dead?!" Robin questioned, alarmed and disturbed by the comment.

"…Yes."

"I… I don't know what to say." He looked away in shock, not wanting to even think about such a situation.

"A tale that beggars belief, and yet the truth of it stands before us." Chrom stated, gesturing to Lucina's sword. "She carries Falchion, my same sword. And the same sword the first exalt used to defeat Grima long ago."

"Your blade and mine are one, Father. It was… It was all I had left of you." Lucina added.

"There is only one Falchion, Robin. I believe her."

"And so do I!" Lissa claimed, almost cheerfully. "Heck, I saw her _come_ from the future! She fell right out of the sky! I've never seen anything like it…"

"Thank you, Aunt Lissa." Lucina smiled, looking towards the young cleric. "Naga, the Divine Dragon, feared mankind would face Grima again. In preparation for that day, she devised a ritual; it allows one to return to the past and alter events already written." Lucina looked down at the ground again, remembering the moment she leapt through the gate. That was the moment she had become lost to the only people she had left in her life. "I made the journey with others, but… we became separated."

"Don't worry, Lucina! If they're out there, we'll find em!" Lissa cheered, giving her best smile. Lucina acknowledged her encouragement and returned the gesture before looking to her mother.

The next couple of moments were spent engaging in a loving embrace between Lucina and her mother. She almost teared up again as her mother held her. It had been so long since she could be with her parents; nothing was more remarkable a feeling than being reunited with them. Lucina relished every second she spent hugging her; every second she was holding her. It was something that she had truly missed.

* * *

Lucina stared off at the sunrise, watching the sun slowly ascend above earth. Although the atmosphere of this island was dark and dreary, the sunrise was beautiful, painting the sky a vivid purple and pink. She took it as a small sign of hope; something beautiful and promising amidst a sea of despair. Hopefully her future would prove to hold that hope somewhere in its course. She needed hope, more than anything; it was the one thing that could never die.

As she stood there alone, she wiped a single tear from her face before realizing that she was even crying. The joy of being with her mother and father again… it was something that words could not express. Something that moved her, even when she wasn't aware of it. She smiled for a moment, though the expression only lasted for a second. She would be staying with the Shepherds from here on out. Now that they knew who she was, she had no reason to hide any longer. Her journey would continue, but now in the company of others; the company of her family. She looked up at the sky, seeing stars glimmer overhead.

 _My friends…_ She thought, thinking of the others. _I don't know where you are, but we'll come for you. Soon._ A shooting star zipped across the sky and prompted Lucina to smile once more. _It's been far too long._

 **Author's Note**

 **Aaaaaaand finally finished with Lucina's story! FINALLY. Even though that took so long though, I still feel like this chapter was rushed and I'm not 100% satisfied with it, especially closer to the end.**

 **Anyway, I tried to keep things to how I thought they would originally be in the game, like (1 example) Lucina not being able to gain access to the Plegian Castle when Chrom met with Validar. Validar brings Grima into the picture and even though he's in Robin's body, I figured that Lucina would catch on to what was happening and realize it's Grima, but she doesn't ever seem to express that she witnessed that event in the game. Therefore, I tried to make it so she wasn't there for it at all.**

 **Another example is earlier on in the story when Lucina arrives at the Plegian castle courtyard; in the game, she only shows up right after Emmeryn falls (and supposedly dies) and that's it-that's the only time she shows up for that chapter. That was because of the fact that she thought she successfully changed the future, so she wouldn't be there for that event, or at least the beginning of it. This is just what I thought so I incorporated all of these thoughts and ideas I had into the story.**

 **Also, I would like to mention that I didn't add Henry's magnificent entrance during the battle with the risen on Carrion Isle because I thought it would just distract from the story and I was having writer's block when writing that part, so I didn't really know how to incorporate it without doing so. Sorry to all the die-hard Henry fans out there.**

 **Lastly, I'm addressing a question I received for the story, which was asking for a specific pairing for the parents; I am not going to be revealing any of the children's fathers (or Lucina's mother). That way, the choice can just be up to the reader on whichever ships they'd like and who marries whom. I'm trying to appeal to all readers here, so the pairings will remain anonymous.**


End file.
